Oath of Honour
by Sonnenfrost
Summary: A being bound by soul and heart accidently returns and brings Inuyasha's life out of concept. It confronts him with a secret which was kept from him and his brother. How will they cope with a new truth and each other? - yaoi, mpreg -
1. Chapter 1

Hello and welcome to my first fanfic. So please have pity when it takes a little longer.

**Warnings: **This is a Yaoi story of pure fiction. It has **m**ature content. This means that some of the scenes are graphic and part of the plot might not be suited to some people. You will find here Mpreg, as well as swearing, violence and unBetaed text passages. This is a See/Inu pairing, as in male/male, Inucest, halfcest, yaoi pairing or whatever you wish to call it. Don't like it, don't read it! And no flames if there is no reason. Critics are more than welcome!

**Disclaimer:** I make no money with this story and I do not own Inuyasha or any of the original characters. Only the new charas are of my creation as well as the plot.

Especially I would like to thank my dear friend 'Thanathos', and my idol writers 'oStilloDreamingo', 'little rosebud' and 'aji7sunhawk' whose stories have inspired me greatly and gave me the courage to try writing for myself.

Well, so much for introduction. Enjoy my story.

Review please, especially if you have ideas, rightful critics or if you think I made mistakes.

Attention: The real story begins further down!

**Prologue**

_In the Past_

The dark lands were silent and those whose minds were clear laid down to wait for the morning to come. A lone figure hidden in a dark brown garment flounced through the forest.

Fog seemed to follow her every step while mud, leaves and dirt seemed to evade her beauty. For she was indeed a beauty to be recognized with. Her ebony hair reached her ankle contrasting sharply with her white skin. The rich purple eyes pierced the moonless autumn night in search. The figure was a beautiful exotic woman with a unique flowery scent. A scent of lilies, spring water and fresh wind and under all those layers laid the scent of a human female.

A twig snapped and the woman turned her head around calmly. Her gaze landed on a proud man with long silvery hair and matching golden eyes: her beloved. When she saw her lover she relaxed further and walked to him without hesitation. The fog followed slowly and filled the place around them to hide them from the rest of the world. The female raised her hand and ghosted her fingers over the armor on his chest, along his neck and to his flawless face. In return the man smiled and put his arms around her waist to pull the girl to him.

"I was worried, I thought you would not come" the girl whispered as she wrapped her arms around his chest. "For you anytime my dear" he smiled "you said there is something I need to know?" "Indeed," she began hesitantly "it seems in our last encounter I was blessed by the gods with your child. What do you think about it?" The smile on the gentle mans face fell from shock for a moment, then he grinned brightly "These are wonderful news Izayoi. Sesshomaru has been an only child for far too long. You honor me with such a sumptuous gift. I cannot wait for its birth!" the demon lifted her happily off the ground and almost crushed her in a bear-hug. After a stunned moment the princess joined her beloved in the hug and smiled serenely. A few minutes passed and the demon lord gave a soft growl of contentment as he lowered her to the ground and locked eyes with her. "Do you wish to accompany me to my castle?" he cooed at the princess and tightened the embrace even more. His smile was tranquil as he put his head possessively in her hair to breath in her scent. He basket in her presence and enjoyed the feeling of her figure in his arms.

"You do know I would love too, yet you forget I cannot follow you to that place. I am not your mate and I never will be. Even the human traditions of marriage cannot bind us to another; after all they hold no meaning to us. Besides," she smiled sadly "there is no priest who would bind our souls" she answered neutral. "But, I -" he insisted. "No buts my love," she cut in, putting an elegant finger on his lips "you do know it is true, it would be my certain death to go unmated to a demons castle. And both of us know that my body is far too frail to withstand an ordeal such as mating. I did however found something interesting considering our 'marriage', would you like to know about it?" The DaiYokai lifted his eyebrow and looked guessingly at his beloved. "Please fill me in".

Izayoi hid her head in his broad chest and answered with a quiet voice "Since both a demonic mating and a human ceremony are no options to us, I searched around and found another way to bind a couple. It is a rite called 'Blood Oath'. I would like to do it with you, so that our child would be born in honor as it deserves." she pleaded. "I have never heard of such a rite, but why shouldn't we do it. But you would have to prepare it, given that I have never heard or read about it. And my library is enormous!" he added with a grin.

The human princess snickered at that and smiled cheerfully with shining eyes "Leave it to me Taisho, a rite such as this is a once in a lifetime experience. I am certain you will like it. How about … meet me on the next full moon under the gigantic acacia where we first talked to each other". "I shall be there and now go my love, the night comes to an end and people might start looking for you. Besides, I think I will also prepare." and with these words he turned around and left the clearing, knowing she would come to no harm.

Izayoi turned around and went smiling back to her manor but stopped midway as if she just remembered something. She turned her head and frowned. After a quick glance over her shoulder in the direction of her beloved she changed directions and headed to a small spring hidden deep in the forest she murmured smirking "Show yourself Aring, before you loose your consciousness in an attempt to keep from laughing". A deep chuckle answered her and rose to a full laughter within seconds. The fog which hid her presence to any threats swirled and amassed in front of her. The figure born out of the fog looked remotely human clad in a simple white robe but the white skin on which shadows seemed to swim over and his mouth made clear that this was not the case. Especially his mouth made one shiver with dread as he did not have lips and when he grinned; it stretched literally from one ear to another. When he opened it a little one could see the displayed razor sharp fangs. And yet, the eyes showed a passion and an intellect that was not to miss.

The figure was still half dissolved as it reined his laughter down and answered _"Pardon me my princess, but I could not help myself. I didn't expect him to agree to our customs. Beside I think with this you won the bet. I cannot wait to see your sisters face when she knows about this"_ he said in a playful silken voice and burst out laughing again. Izayoi snickered at the thought of her sister's face and agreed. For a little while both shared the presence of each other and enjoyed the beautiful cool night. But from one moment to the next all playfulness vanished and the feeling of a war council took over. "_So I am going to prepare the rite … are you convinced you will not regret your decision? You could return, you know don't you? You do not have to end it here. There is no need to stay behind all alone, right?"_ he asked slowly one last time.

Izayoi blinked and closed her eyelids and when she opened them again she revealed her true emotions to Aring. The gentle purple glow which encased the beauty was dim and dark."Yes Aring, I have decided. Do not grieve my friend, I searched for months, no years and now I have found a powerful yet gentle man, who is to my very liking. I even ended up usurping a city, a manor and the hearts of so many people. I will not let all this work be for naught. So the answer is 'yes' Aring. Besides no matter where I go, death will keep waiting for me."

"_I know you are only stating the truth and yet … your condition scares me. ... You won't make it back, you will die here. Alone. Please, at the very least let me stay with you until the very end. I may be of some help." _Aring pleaded, his eyes dull yet shimmering with unshed tears. If there had been any bystander they would have known that whatever these two beings were planning it would take a prize not many would be willing to pay.

The princess looked at her friend and slowly shook her head with a sad smile. "No, I won't let you die like this. After all, there is someone waiting for you. With a bit of luck maybe even another young life will await you in your future" She paused and turned around "Let us go, I need to plan everything out and we need to make haste, time is a luxury we do no longer have. Get the others." with these words Izayoi turned around and advanced to her manor without looking back.

The mist-man Aring looked with sad and knowing eyes after his mistress. She was unable to see his determined eyes as his gaze followed her form. He sighed softly and his body dissolved completely to fog once again to silently trail her.

**Chapter 1: The Calm before the Storm**

- Castle of the West -

The inhabitants of the western castle were tense. Demons tiptoed from room to room and conversations were held in whispers. The atmosphere was tense and unbearable. The reason was simple: Their lord was in a foul mood due to his latest inspections of the surrounding lands. A small green imp huffed through one of the endless corridors swaying past ancient paintings and guarding demons. The green-skinned male swayed past beautifully decorated rooms and lovely gardens, which were carefully tended to. The white clean walls and the high ceiling gave the endless hallway an almost sacred feeling. The gardens only added to this impression. It was unbefitting to the reputations demons held, but it matched the perfect lord, that owned it. The imp didn't bother looking around in awe at the graceful style of construction, after all he knew it by heart after all these years. It became a normal view, uninteresting and plain compared to his intended destination especially with his heavy load.

Jacken saw the beautifully carved door to the study. He slowed down and clutched the files to his small chest and took a last deep breath before he knocked at the door. "Enter" a smooth yet lightly dark voice answered him. The door was opened a little and the kappa peeked careful at his lord. Jacken knew exactly why his lord's mood went beyond the freezing point and he also knew that these files wouldn't help. They never did. So why start hoping. "Get over here Jacken, I want to finish before the season changes." the lord mused loudly. The imp snapped back to reality and staggered to the desk to lay down the requested papers. His beak constantly was stuttering apologies. The DayYokai didn't wait for him to finish his monologue of regret; he just took his documents to compare them to his latest collected information. His angelic face was marred with an ugly frown as his eyes roamed over the laid-out documents. "You may leave now, Jacken. But before you retire make sure to make a list about strong spirit detectors, witches, old eremites or similar beings. They need to be in touch with nature." "Yes my lord." the toad uttered and hurried out of the room to do as he was told.

While the Lord of the West submerged himself in his work, all life seemed to come to halt in the castle. Silence was rare within these walls and much dreaded. There were no guests, no chatting servants and even the soldiers training on the grounds seemed to be cautious to not make to much noise. Even the kitsune-demons who were in charge for keeping the household up and did many of the chores, tried hell-bent to have as little contact to their working lord as possible.

An entire day and two nights passed before anyone saw the western lord again. As he finally exited his study he looked calm and composed and yet instincts made the serving and guarding yokai run for the hills. The stoic lord made his way to the toad's working place to retrieve his ordered list as well as the imp himself. While walking he gave various orders to the commandant of his troupes as well as his four captains. Once the imp joined the master of the house on his walk, the kappa was dragged to the head of the household. Sesshomaru gave said demon a list with things that needed to be done. The toad made sure he had a copy of all the instructions, in case of emergency or if someone forgot his duties. Afterwards both demons made their way to the council.

On his way to the council Sesshomaru's mood darkened. He had a problem. An enormous one. His lands were withering …they were dying. Dying! HE, the most powerful of the lords and a being as close to perfection as one could be, didn't even realized the state of his heritage. It was inexplicable, how come he didn't see it before! His father would be furious with his neglect of the lands of his ancestors.

The western lands always were the most fruitful of all the lands. The north, governed by the panther demons, was covered by mountains and cliffs. The southern territory belonging to the phoenix demons had many lakes, rivers and green Great Plains. The eastern part of Japan was divided in clearly arranged spots of green forests, brown hills and blue rivers. Simple, wild and uncomplicated, just like the wolf demons that ruled in these parts of the land.

Sesshomaru clenched his fangs and suppressed a growl. If the other lords and ladies got that he lost this much control of his lands, he could just as well hang up his title at the doorstep, so that the one coming first could just take it to his or her liking. His eyes narrowed slightly. Normally the ruling lords and ladies kept well out of each other's business and respected each other. But thanks to his reputation, his strength and his sharp mind the others started to get wary of him. The fact that he hardly had any allies made thoughts of invading his lands quite appealing as well as the fact that the western lands were beautiful. The temptation was enormous especially to the northern panthers with their barren rocks and cliffs, or for new formed groups of upcoming demons.

But currently he was certain that no one beside him knew that each passing year had brought less yields than the year before. For his ancestors sake! Even the seasons seemed to dim as time passed and left him down. The process was slow, so very slow and at such a leisurely pace nobody was able to take notice. Not even him. But the records were true. The young lord could still remember the springs three hundred years ago. The current spring was hardly more than a pitiful poor copy of the former green paradise.

His council would also understand the situation once they would be confronted with it. A hard and empty smile curved his mouth slightly, as he thought of exactly what would happen to his council if another should decide that the western lands were in need of a new leader. No one of noble blood or those close to them survived a takeover. … A dead enemy means no risk and no opposition.

Sesshomaru thought were brought to an halt as he saw the portal doors. He didn't even realize that he had already reached the conference room. He stood tall and proud in front of it as two bull demons reached out and opened the portal for him. He did not know how, but somehow his instincts screamed to him that something was happening or beginning to happen. The lord of the inus did not like to lose control. As the doors swung open he entered with determined steps, the small imp following in his shadow. It did not matter what destiny would throw at him. He was ready to face it and now the first round would start.

**- tbc -**

So this is my first chapter of many to come. I think I put everything in quite nicely but if you have any suggestions or ideas make sure to contact me. In these bottom parts I will describe details about the story or point out the background if it is not already described in the story.

Firstly, in the series of Inuyasha many powerful and respected demons were female, like Sessho's mother, the bird queen Tekkei, or the current female leader of the panther demons who controls ice. So in my stories both genders in demon-society have equal rights. The only conditions which are necessary to be a leader is power, wisdom and influence.

Secondly, in my story the more powerful demons do not go into heat. The privilege to act on instincts alone is reserved for animals or the mindless lesser demons (the insect like demons that followed Naraku for example).

I always wondered about Izayoi, for she did not seem to be as what she appeared. Humans do not have purple eyes and in the story of Rumiko Takahashi there is a scene in which the 'fake mother' of Inuyasha used some sort of 'flower magic' to teleport everyone. NO ONE (not even the characters themselves) seemed to mind that a normal human princess is capable of such a feat. So I decided that there has to be more than meets the eye and so an idea and this story were born (other stories are on the way).

Beside I do not like the idea of a Kagome/Inuyasha pairing, especially after the movie. So I decided to change it.

That was it for this time. 'Till next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back, I missed you guys. Have fun with the new chapter and thanks for your interest and a big thank you for my first reviewers.

**Chapter 2: Predators **

- In the western lands -

A red blur raced through the dim morning light. Over the treetops followed a blazing twin-tailed saber-cat carrying a monk. The three hunters had been busy for days running from one village to the next. Some evil witch had taken a liking to children blood and up to this point a dozen human and two demon children fell victim to her. But nobody had seen her doing her evil deed and of course there were no traces whatsoever left behind. But now, finally, after an entire week practically with the nose to the ground they had found her smell - mixed with the stench of young blood.

This time Sango had to stay behind with her brother Kohaku. The slayers were unable to fight and would take a much needed rest. As for the future girl, well, she went back to her time about two weeks ago to keep up with her medicine studies. Inuyasha growled softly, why the heck even bother with these schools! She went to that old school of hers to take her tests so that she now could go to a different farther away school to have even more tests! The half-blood wasn't exactly certain if he really wanted to know what kind of life would come after her second school. Learning things was important, he could attest to that, since only his knowledge had kept him alive as a puppy. But Kagome seemed to have finally lost the ground. It has been practically two months since he saw her face the last time, for she always had a book before her nose. Hell, even asleep the girl was blanketed with papers. He shook his head to scare these unwanted thoughts and pictures away and out of his mind.

His nose kept telling him to go further to the west. Another human village lied in that direction. He didn't like that idea and slowed down waving at the other two to get down. After a few seconds his friends were by his side. "What did you find?", the monk asked. "Another human village and it seems our witch went right through it. I think it would be best if we entered more calmly to not startle the humans in case there is a new victim. Beside your silver tongue has proven itself very handy in dealing with people. So you go in first." he informed his companion bluntly.

"I agree to your idea, but you do know I am a holy man. Such offending words hurt me because as a monk I am considered as pure as driven snow" the monk stated almost innocently. The hanyou snorted. Yeah sure, the monk was innocent and he was a Koi-carp! He shook his head and with his two co-hunters he followed the way into the village.

By nightfall a dumbfounded Inuyasha and Kilala found themselves on a mountain of nice cushions with a feast in front of them. Of course in the best manor around, while the monk was with its lord and made sure that they would get paid in this village as well, once the witch was killed. That would make this place the third village. The hanyou traced with his clawed thumb the nice cushions absorbed in thoughts. Another victim, no two, the mother died shortly after due to shock and grief. …Humans were indeed strange. They could be crueler than any demon or beast could ever hope to be and at the same time some of them carried a light in them that made fighting and maybe even dying worth. Sometimes the hanyou had difficulties to determine who really was the 'evil demon' and who was more 'humane'. Even among the hunters only Inuyasha never got used to these tactics of Miroku (even Kagome didn't seemed to mind that much). The terms innocence and evil seemed to include almost every kind of aspect of life. The hanyou grunted unhappily and sagged into a cushion in front of the window to have a good view at their next destination: A mountain with enough holes and tunnels to rival a cheese or an anthill. It would be a pain to sniff that witch out of there, but at least the chances were high for her staying there. Since the surrounding gave her security and many escape routes. But there was more. He could smell someone he had not expected.

The hanyou was forced out of his musings when he saw the missing monk pass by the door with a lovely young woman by his side. Sango had been resolute to accompanying them, but with her twins sick and her brother hurt she couldn't. She knew that sometimes the monk had the tendency to fall back into old habits. This phenomenon tended to increase if she was not within striking rage. The hanyou understood her dilemma so he decided to side with the slayer "Miroku get over here I think we will face some problems at our witch-hunt." Grumbling the monk excused himself from the maiden to take a place across to his friend to enjoy supper and to listen to his discovery. The fire-kitten used that opportunity to jump on the 'holy' mans lap with her fish. The hanyou smirked. The enemy of decency was restricted. "About the time you got back. The wind shifted and I could smell many different types of demons around."

The monk slowed his eating and lifted an eyebrow "That is to be expected, the forests surrounding this village and the many caves of the mountain ahead are ideal for demons and other predators." the monk said. Normally he would be right, yet this time things tended to be a little different. These were no normal demons and their movements weren't ordinary either.

"True, but these demons are on a high level and they seem to be moving in groups. That's not all. Sesshomaru seems to be among them." The monk almost choked on his fish. The dog-lord hasn't come to the village in almost four months. Rin had to go to the western palace to see her guardian most times. Besides if the lord of the western lands decided to roam a forest with his troops it could be quite a hindrance to their hunt. Especially if said DaiYokai aligned himself with the witch. Miroku eyed his barely touched supper with sad eyes. He had lost his appetite. He took a deep breath and wished his companions a decent sleep. Then he rose from his seat and left, ignoring the woman from before. The coming day looked a little less brightly and they would probably need their sleep and all luck.

- Meanwhile at the mountain's base -

Here they were. At yet another random and isolated place somewhere in the wilderness. Sesshomaru wasn't really convinced that all this wandering would amount to much but apparently their guide was certain. So he wanted to give her a chance to prove herself. The witch that guided them had introduced herself about a week ago. The toad's list was extensive and still he wasn't pleased like the rest of his council. All of them were talented no question about it, but something was always off. At last, one of his councilmen, an Ibis-demoness suggested this witch, Sheema. She was indeed the best choice even if she was known for her dark magic rituals as well as for her other qualities. The little witch floated a little closer to the lord and with her the scent of young blood came. "Lord Sesshomaru, it seems we can find some answers in this mountain, but it would be wise to leave the troops here. I doubt we will need them and they will only disturb the flow of the land. Please remember the incident at the riverbank." Sheema pointed out and Sesshomaru successfully hid a flinch at that memory. He nodded regally and ordered his man to keep watch. The little witch with the huge white eyes and the short black hair floated into the cave followed by the demon lord.

**- tbc -**

An aspect to the story is the birth rate of demons, humans and hanyous. Humans are very fertile but have only a short limited lifespan. Demons are timeless, but thanks to that blessing almost completely unfertile (one child in over five hundred years does count as such don't you think?). Hanyous are an interesting combination of both races, they are timeless but can produce far more offspring than an average demon. But they can get sick and need a lot more training and time to gain power.

And as for reproduction: Different races cannot produce offspring together (there is no bird-fox mix or some fish-deer abomination). Human are beyond that limitation and can have a family with a demon.


	3. Chapter 3

Another week has passed. It's amazing how times seem to run when you write.

**Chapter 3: Child's Play**

The dawn's first gentle light reached the small human village from which the hunters departed. They were walking by foot as they would only attract unwanted attention if the kitten was used for transportation. The fire-cat sat with glowing eyes on the monks shoulder and peered into the woods while the two men ran swiftly to the origin of the trail they had followed up to now. No words were spoken as they rushed through dawn.

The path they followed was covered by fallen blossoms and smoothed with weed. Apparently it had rained somewhere during the night as the ground glistered with droplets and all smells were partly covered by the fresh clean scent of nature. After a short while they came to the edge of the forest and decided to take cover in it. While sneaking through the forest they realized they were no longer alone. In front of them were nine demons. Higher level-demons to be precise. Both inched forward and took a good look at the demons. From the smell and their body built they were bear demons. Inuyasha made a dark face and growled inwardly. He didn't like bear demons: they were always hungry, full of raw force and god their stench! How could they stand themselves? A tug on his haori made the mixed-blood turn his head to his companion. The monk pointed to another demon that just entered their field of vision. She was pretty, tall, had a long braided pony tail and was gifted with very long legs and completely covered in armor. A horse demoness he sniffed out and judging by the armor she appeared to be a general or lieutenant or whatever title there was in his blasted brother's army. Great, just fucking wonderful he thought sarcastically. Whenever he decided to wait for whatever reasons he always had more 'friends' by the hand. And still people always said he shouldn't rush in. The day really couldn't get worse. Or so he thought.

Suddenly Inuyasha's senses seemed to run riot. A new feeling entered his system and blocked almost all of his thoughts out. Inuyasha covered his sensitive ears which were starting to hurt. He felt kind of funny. For a moment even his vision swam and he was about to panic. His skin felt for some reason far too tight and itchy as his entire focus went to the cave. In which he just realized both the blasted witch as well as his god-forsaken brother seemed to spend their free-time together. They were responsible for this disgusting feeling! How fitting; as soon as his brother joins forces with that human-monster even the air around them seemed to get polluted. It was even worse than the smell from these metallic colorful cans in Kagome's place. Inuyasha swallowed the urge to growl, he knew horse demons had bad noses and not the best eyes compared to other demons, but their ears and especially their legs were a completely different story. Their speed was legendary and if she was as fast as her rang suggested, she might even be able to outrun his brother. He turned to Miroku and pointed back to where they came from. The monk understood but hesitated when he realized how funny his co-hunter behaved. Miroku took a look at the group in front of him and compared in his minds the strong and weak points of the two races. With a last sad glance back at the demoness he followed the other.

"Miroku do us all a favor and don't drool over possible enemies. Seriously, as long as Sango is close by you have yourself under control but let her be away you fall back in old habits." the hanyou stated gruffly. "I hope you didn't make us go back just to discipline me. Beside that demoness had some strange looking weapon at her waist." was the swift reply. The dog hanyou shook his head to that and stated bluntly "Something is happening in that cave. I feel it and it feels disgusting, do you sense something off?" "No nothing at all, beside the auras of these demons as well as some sort of barrier within the mountain. Explain what you feel" the monk asked concerned, knowing that his friend had thanks to his unique body structure impressive senses.

"I wish I could explain it" the hanyou growled angrily, his eyes turning into slits "but I cannot. I know something in that mountain is happening I can feel it and it's driving me crazy. It's like bugs crawling all over me. Disgusting! I know I have to stop it. It will cause trouble. Can you distract that bunch so that I can slip in?" The monk nodded "Yes I can, but in times like these I really miss my Kazaana. Oh well, nothing will change by fretting. It will be difficult to go against all of them. Nine powerful opponents skilled in close combat and a strange female." the monk began "A horse, Miroku" the hanyou interrupted. "Really? It's my first time seeing one. In that case we will have to resort to some other methods… Let's do it this way…" and with that they discussed what they would do to get past the demon line.

Hazal was as happy as a peacock. She was young and had only previously achieved her title as the lord's second lieutenant. This mission would, if it succeeded, push her reputation above the clouds! She was sure of it. She saw how mad her lord had previously been and now he was here, BY HIMSELF, to get what he wanted. Hell, he even accepted help from that eerie human-witch! That was the first time ever that he allowed a human to assist him. It had to be something special and she would bet her new title on it. With a bit of luck she would soon be on equal footing with her brother and with a big slice of mother fortune's blessing maybe she could even challenge the Commandant! Hazal had Goosebumps. It was getting difficult staying calm while dreaming of such a golden future Hazal realized and forced her attention back to reality and to the nine bear demons that served her on this mission.

Suddenly dozen of small dart like objects came flying at them. She heard them in time and jumped easily out of the range of the objects and realized there were small needle like items blessed with seals. The slow brawlers were out in seconds sealed in a small neat circle. Pathetic! But as a horse demon there were not much of a challenge. She checked the seal and realized that she couldn't do much besides getting rid of the sealer. Maybe she should have accepted the seal training? 'Ah, who cares! It's too late to whine about spilled milk' Hazal thought. She snorted and walked carefully with all her inherited grace closer to the place from which the darts came. As she came under a big tree, yet another and even faster wave of darts rained down on her which she barely evaded by jumping back. A sudden buzz made her turn mid air and she gasped in shock. A prepared seal and she was flying right into it! She tried to shift her weight to manipulate her fall but it was for naught. She hit the ground in the circle and it flared up and trapped her just like her henchmen. The horse demon was seriously mad "Show yourself you blasted coward! Believe me as soon as I get out of here I will gut you like a fish!"

"My, such language for such a pretty sight" Miroku murmured hidden behind one of his own seals. He sat in Seiza and grinned amused at the female's rage. Currently Miroku was really glad that Sango trained with him, of course he wouldn't tell her directly and obviously he would change his mind as soon as the next training session was about to begin. But right now he was a very happy man. The plan was a full success. Now all he had to do was hold that bunch down and make his escape. That would be easy!

And in the cave a certain hanyou had to agree. He had slipped in the cave and past the barriers when the horse went after the bait and when the bears were busy clawing at their invisible cage. Before he was too far in he heard a female outburst and he grinned brightly. And least something was fun with this weird feeling increasing. The nausea was starting to intensify and breathing started to get more and more difficult. As he ran he repeated in his mind that it couldn't be that far. That mantra in his head and his labored breath was all Inuyasha could hear as he sprinted along the narrowed tunnel. He made it to a part of the cave that could easily fit in half of the old hag's village. As his eyes scanned the dark place his gaze fell on a silvery figure he would recognize anywhere and next to him glowed a greenish magical circle and in front of it floated the origin of the trail he had followed for days on end.

He ran deeper into the lair, jumped up the platform and landed right to their side. "Hello little brother. Did you miss me or what gives me the honor of meeting you even in such an isolated place?" the DaiYokai asked without turning in a bored voice. "I am here for your date, sorry bastard go get another wench. I've got business with her." Inuyasha barked drawing his trusted fang. "Seriously little brother, just once I would like to see you chase after a demon instead of your human wenches. At the very least you would appear to have gotten rid of your 'human-loving-nature' as demons call it. And I doubt you will interrupt us. This is important business, so be gone. If you don't leave by yourself I shall make you." Sesshomaru said drawing Bakusaiga.

Both brothers stared at each other, neither ready to back down. The battle was inevitable.

**- tbc -**

yeah I know, I am evil but you guys know: Stop when it's getting good, right? Hope you like it up to now. I also realized that my chapters are rather short and I am currently trying to improve that flaw. Thanks for informing me, 'clio1111'.

I am still thinking about some names, characteristics and demon-races for my stories. So if anybody has something interesting in mind: share with me/us!

Does anyone out there know a page in the internet, in which you can translate for free in the Japanese language? I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance my eager bees! ^-^


	4. Chapter 4

Welcome back to the confrontation. Thanks for the reviews. For the battle to come I will use the Japanese names of the skills. Remember to contact me if you find any flaws.

**Chapter 4: Like Oil to the Fire**

The Inu-brothers stood still facing each other. Inuyasha broke the staring contest and charged at his older brother his Tessaiga raised. He brought the sword down on his brother who evaded in the blink of an eye and stood suddenly next to him. The older one swiped at the other's torso and drew blood with his sharp poisonous claws. "What is wrong? You are even slower than usual, little brother" the older smirked coldly. Inuyasha's knees bugged and he grabbed his blood stained haori snarling at the other. He fucking knew he was slower than normal - with his ability to breathe being hindered what did the prick expect!? "Well sorry asshole but your new friend is a little distracting!"

To the word 'brother' the witch turned towards the two and gave the loud duo a disdainful look-over. "Milord, pardon my prying but please keep your family out of the way. Even a small disturbance can cause failure." the witch said. The brothers turned as one to the witch like she had just grown another head. "We are no family!" the demon lord hissed. The hanyou nodded to that statement "The prick is right and you stay out of this, wench, and while you are at it - stop this crap!" To that the DaiYokai closed the distance between them and gave his brother a sharp kick into his ribs.

Inuyasha hissed in pain as he felt Sesshomaru's poison gnawing at his insides along with the new burning tingling in his ribs. He turned his attention to growl at the witch who stood still by the diagram circle. She shrugged her shoulders and her attention shifted back to her work.

In the centre of the circle she seemed to collect fog from the ground. She seemed focused on something in the middle like she was in a trance. As he followed her gaze and tried to get a better look at the thing in the center of the circle he felt nauseate. The witch lifted her arms and started to chant a long spell with her raspy and dark voice. Her spell summoned bright light cords shaped like a web which seemed to trap and force the fog into shape. An eerie sound ringed out throughout the lair like a pained groan. The hanyou shivered at the tortured sound and was certain that he had to stop it. He lifted his blood stained hand and threw his blood at the witch to interrupt her cursed chanting.

His older brother watched the action with a calm demeanor; a soft barely audible growl went past his lips. As a DaiYokai no one ever dared to ignore him, especially not for some mortal! The older lifted Bakusaiga and made a strike at the half-blood's left outstretched arm. His sword pierced deep into the soft flesh and Bakusaiga's energy pulsed like shock-waves through the younger's body. Inuyasha howled in pain as his arm was shredded, but refused to take his eyes of the witch.

The witch snapped back to reality and lifted her head in time to create a barrier. She blocked his Hijinkessou but lost her concentration and the strings of light severed with an audible pop. The trapped fog rushed away from the witch and headed deep into the cave tunnels. She screamed in outrage as she realized that her work had decided to take its leave. "Sesshoumaru can't you keep this pest down. The summoning is destroyed. It's worthless now!" the demon spoken to lifted his head and stared down at his partner with disapproval and clear annoyance. "Do not dare to talk to me like that, human. Just repeat it or are you telling me that there is a problem with such a simple task?" the demon lord asked calmly. His stoic face not showing anything.

"Who cares about your investigation?! It's gone now and who knows when I will find another one?!" the witch screamed in fury ruffling her hair. Sesshomaru ignored his brother, who lifted himself up, and stared at Sheema. "What are you rambling about, human?" Sesshomaru used his god-like speed and stood in front of her within a second. His towering form emitted a deadly-calm promise. Inuyasha knew it well. It meant: Watch what you think or you will never think again. Yep, the good old times.

The witch was unimpressed and returned the glare to the towering form in front of her. The hanyou admired her guts, not many were that brave or crazy. He sighed and decided to ignore the bickering assholes as he bent his legs and jumped swiftly in the direction in which the fog had made its escape. His senses said that he needed to check it, but why he couldn't tell. For some reason it felt awfully familiar. Or at least it seemed to be the better option than staying with his brother in the same mountain.

The moment his foot hit the ground a powerful fire blast hit his back and sent him crashing in the wall in front of him. Grumbling in annoyance he peeled himself of the rough surface and felt the numbness from the impact spread in his body. He turned around and saw that his brother and that blasted witch had decided that they should turn each other in a pile of dust. Inuyasha looked at his shadow at the wall and thought about the damage he had received. A poisoned wound in his torso, cuts all over his body and some matching nasty bruises. But that wasn't that bad, since the circle was destroyed he could breath normally again, but he still felt a little off. Maybe some aftermath? he thought. Luckily the elements hardly ever really harmed him just like the flames this time. Still before he left he had to prove his point – on his heel he turned around and raised his sword once more. He unleashed his WindScar and roared angrily "If you want to mess each other up than keep me out of your lover's tuffle!" The winds of the sword cut through the stones, the close pillars and rushed to the opponents, who took off of each other like they were hit by a bucket of cold water. Both beings turned as one to the hanyou and said hanyou had difficulties to determine who was angrier. Maybe he should have stayed out of this for once. On the other hand - they started it!

The witch seemed to agree with the hanyou. "How dare you damn half-breed mutt, go play with some bones or bounce after a ball. We are bus-" her sentence was never finished as Sesshomaru's claw struck her side and his poison feasted greedily on her flesh as the witch screamed shrilly. "How dare you mock the proud celestial dog-demon clan! You arrogance seems to know no limit (to this Inuyasha only snorted). You won't leave this place in one piece" the DaiYokai seethed angrily. The witch face was covered by her mob of black hair and her white dull eyes were closed. Her back started to shake as she began to laugh. First silently than her laughter ringed out darkly through the lair. "That's it! Alright you blasted dogs, you want to hunt and play, go ahead! I am fed up with you two! I will make sure that you behave exactly like the animals you are!" and with these words the witch took a small vile out of her outer robe and smashed it on the ground in front of the aloof dog-demon lord.

And with that the world stood still to the hanyou. As the vial broke a strange scent shifted through the cave and seemed to lure him to the broken item. It smelt divine. Unconsciously his eyes closed to the heavenly fragrance. A loud growl emitted from the DaiYokai which snapped Inuyasha back to reality and he looked up and locked eyes with deep bloody-red orbs. The hanyou gasped at the sight of his maddened brother. The witch used the distraction and created a barrier in a pale blue coloring around her and drifted to the side straight into the wall and disappeared – apparently unnoticed by the drugged yokai. The hanyou stepped back and glanced around the cave. Everything in him wanted to either run or fight, but his body had already received damage which made the fighting option far less appealing.

Before he could even make up his mind his brother was in front of him within the blink of an eye and his claws were wrapped tightly around his throat. Like a reflex he slashed at his brother's face who jumped away from him without getting hit by his sharp claws.

Just like before the brother's faced each other – but this time Inuyasha knew there would be something at stake. Unnoticed to them the fog reentered the lair silently as only ghost's can move.

**- tbc -**

Finally! I made it! My very first battle scene. This chapter took about as long as two normal chapters (and it only has the lengths of a normal one Y,Y). I knew these kinds of scenes were difficult but still it was worth every damn minute of work.

Now listen guys this is **important! **The next chapter contains the mating! But it will be your **choice** how it will take place. The outcome will be the same in the end so I thought that I should let you guys decide how coming chapter should go. You have the following options:

Inuyasha's will be taken by Sess with no protection - the fog will try to save him but will fail

Inuyasha will be affected by the vial's contents and 'join in willingly' and the fog will save him before both come back to their senses

as usual you will see the result next week!


	5. Chapter 5

It's Monday once more. So here is the new chapter. The winner of the options of the coming mating course is unanimous option number one. To those of you that were wishing for Sess to be taken, you will have to wait a little bit. Don't fret, I have decided to take that in at a later point (thanks for the great idea ^-^).

Now comes Mature content. You have been warned!

**Chapter 5: A momentous Battle**

Once again the Inu-brothers faced each other. One of them worried about the situation and the other apparently mindless. The fog as well as the scent of the vial's content seemed to get thicker by the second but none of them really paid any attention to the surrounding.

This time the full-blood stormed at his opponent - slower than usual but with a more dreaded aura. He aimed for his brother right arm. The hanyou raised Tessaiga and blocked the blow. As his brother was blocked the half-blood kicked his brother's legs away to rid Sesshomaru of his balance. Inuyasha used that moment to hack at his brother's left leg but the light-whip of the DaiYokai hit him in his face. Paralyzed by shock and the moment of pain the younger staggered uselessly for a moment. Sesshomaru used that moment to slash Inuyasha's left thigh before the hanyou could even raise his protections. As soft flesh was cut Inuyasha cursed. How was he supposed to fight when he was exhausted and wounded all over! As he thought this his brother went at him again, this time he aimed for his head. Inuyasha sidestepped and evaded the sharp sword by few inches. His brother's foot followed him and kicked him merciless in the ribs once more. He was sent flying and hit the lair's wall one more time. Inuyasha went slowly back to his feet and growled at the approaching demon. He started wondering how he was supposed to get out of this. Even with both legs intact his brother was faster – hell even at the peak of his strength the battles with his brother's were close calls and he didn't want to use the Meidou's power. He would NEVER use it against his remaining family.

"_If you want I can try to help you. And if everything falls apart I can ease your mind so you will neither feel nor remember anything that follows."_ a silken voice whispered in Inuyasha's head. "What the – whose there?!" the hanyou turned startled around and received a painful jab at his back from his brother and flew back to the ground. The demon took distance again. "_Don't fight him, he might kill you as he is now. Right now he is no longer in his right mind. He is just an instinct-driven beast! I will take his attention while you leave." _the whisper offered. "Why should I trust you? Who are you? And why should you help me if that risks the prick to go after you?!" the hanyou shouted as he tried to get as much distance to his brother as was possible. For some reason the DaiYokai seemed to take it easy with the chase – Inuyasha wasn't sure whether he should be happy or insulted about it.

"_You saved me from that witch. Who knows what she would have done with m. Besides correct me if I am mistaken but your aura feels like Izayoi's. Are you by any chance connected to her?" _the silky voice asked softly in his head. The voice sounded sad, curious as well as kind of lurking. It also sounded male. "What the?! How do you know my mother?! Who are you?" the hanyou shouted confused and demanding. His steps came to an halt and he looked confused at the fog that came closer – the approaching demon-lord on the other side completely forgotten. To hell with his brother or that child-obsessed witch, in this cave was something, no someone who knew his mother and from the sound of the voice, someone who didn't damn her for falling for a demon. That was a first!

"_So you really are her child. I will help and save you. Even against your wishes. That's the least I can do for her" _and with these determined whispers in his head the fog rushed towards the hanyou and stopped in front of him. It collected itself right between the brothers. The cloud-like substance amassed and limbs, a head and a new smell were created in front of the half-blood literally out of thin air. Inuyasha watched stunned as a grayish body stood tall and proud defensibly in front of him. The body was pale with strange black schemes moving on the skin and clad in long grey robes with strange colorful pattern and symbols on it. The person had shoulder-length grey hair like an old wolf and his scent was like an early spring morning in autumn: Fresh foliage with a hint of water – like the fog only far stronger. It addressed Inuyasha with a calm but exhausted voice: "I am Aring, little one, now choose quickly: Do you want me to save your memory or do you want me to fight by your side? My strength is waning due to the ordeal but I will help you until it vanishes completely."

For the first time the voice wasn't in his head. It was no illusion. He was not alone in this mess. Inuyasha looked in the intelligent grey eyes of the stranger and then to his still half-brother that eyed him with slitted pupils. Eyeing him with no form of recognition. He exhaled deeply and locked eyes with Aring and gave him his choice. "Keh, no need to protect me from anyone, not even that prick. But if you wish to join me in this mess, Aring, you can fight with me as long as you stand behind me. Oh yeah, my name's Inuyasha." the hanyou barked gruffly but with a grin on his face. Aring tilted his head in a small bow and drew out of his robes two large jagged daggers that glinted in a malicious red color. Now it was two against one. Sesshomaru gave a small snarl before he went for his brother bypassing the surprised other man. The hanyou threw his blood at the demon but only brushed his upper arm and as the demon came within striking distance he tried to pierce his brother. The demon lord took none of that as he blocked the attack easily. He raised his sword to strike at the younger man – and was interrupted as the former-fog-man's daggers found their way into his shoulder blades. The daggers gave a malicious buzzing sound as they pierced the flesh and the demon howled in pain and outrage.

With a wide swing the demon lord threw the younger away and jumped at the grey figure with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. Inuyasha came back to his feet and turned his eyes to the sounds of clashing metal. In awe the hanyou watched both man exchanging blows at a rapid pace. Both men were obviously skilled fighters with their chosen weapons. Sesshomaru changed tactics using his whip to his advantage to injure the other's wrist. Aring cursed and took a step back yet kept the DaiYokai's sword at bay with his other dagger. Seeing the signs of a weakness the DaiYokai dropped his sword and dug his poisonous claw into the front of the other male's chest. Aring hissed in pain. Caught of guard by the sudden change of 'weapons', he tried to pull the offending appendage out of his middle. The yokai swung his other claw at the man to finish the battle but this time Inuyasha stopped the strike by hitting the demon with the dull side of Tessaiga on his neck. Rendering the demon helpless for a split second. The hanyou didn't waste a thought and threw a punch at the yokai's temple. Effectively forcing his brother's attention to himself.

The yokai growled furiously and threw the poisoned grey-head away like a broken rag-doll. The man lied still injured quite badly, but alive. Inuyasha took relieved a deep breath and fingered the slimy shard he had picked up from the ground where he was thrown – right next to the broken yet heavenly smelling vial. Inuyasha had remembered Kaede once talking about effects of overdosed potions and now hoped that the remaining substance on the vials-shard could accelerate the yokai's break down. The hanyou shifted his weight to his uninjured leg and waited for the coming disaster. He did not have to wait long, as the yokai charged once more at the hanyou, who made a wide powerful slash at the other's torso. It never landed at the aim as the yokai caught the younger's wrist and quickly Tessaiga followed Bakusaiga to the ground as Sesshomaru's fist connected with Inuyasha's gut.

Both fighters ignored their lack of arms and went back at each other's throat. Clawing at everything they could reach, they turned each other into a mess and ruined their remaining energy reserves as well as their clothes. Using his speed to his advantage the older inu pinned the struggling younger to the ground and used his weight to keep him there. The demon lord tilted his head and bit in the hanyou's neck to underline the situation. Inuyasha panicked – for all his strength and stamina he couldn't get the other off him. Hell, he couldn't even get him away from his neck. All flailing and clawing hadn't brought any results - his last hope was the witch potion that had brought him into this situation. Inuyasha wanted to laugh or cry at the irony. He still held the glass-splinter between his bleeding fingers and searched frantically for an opening. The yokai lifted his head and grinned widely with flashing fangs at the exhausted inu-hanyou's face as his hand wrapped around his neck, choking him.

Inuyasha struggled more urgently at the thought of being throttled to death when he saw the older's bleeding upper arm. With his last strength he freed his arm and forced the bloodied item deep into the other's arm. The reaction was immediate. The other bolted from the lying figure and howled in pained confusion. The younger shifted positions and gulped in much needed breath as he tried to get back on his feet. At least he tried to. The next second a heavy body collided onto his back and forced the precious air out of his lungs. The hanyou, nailed to the ground, cursed "Get finally off of me! If you want to fight go to your wench, but let go of me!"

This time the vice grip of the demon lord was unyielding yes, but it didn't made any damage. The younger felt his hope flare and tried to flail or wiggle his way out. A growl interrupted his actions as he felt Sesshomaru's nose in the nape of his neck. The hanyou's ears flatted at the action and he lowered his head to get his brother's fangs away from the vulnerable spot. This seemed to please the older male as he emitted a content growl. The next thing he knew he was flipped over and found himself being held tightly in his bother's moko-moko-sama. His upper body lifted a little off the ground and his arms stuck to his side. The startled younger man looked confused into crimson eyes that shone in a strange light as he watched his captive. Inuyasha yelped off guard when his brother attached his fangs to his neck while his hands started to travel over his body – leaving bloody trails and ripped fabrics behind. Inuyasha's eyes widened in realization and his panic reached new heights as his struggling renewed. "Stop it, Sesshomaru! Get off! Have you lost your mind?! What do y-" the hanyou's screams were interrupted when he felt the yokai's mouth and fangs on his, while the demons hand cupped his cheek none to gently to keep him from turning away. A moment later it departed and went back to the neck again – while his claws made short process with the fabrics covering the younger.

The hanyou started to feel scared for himself as his clothing left his skin more and more. The demon lord didn't seem to hear the cussing of the trashing younger as he bit over and over in his shoulders to lap up the spilling blood. The creamy skin of his brother's neck caught Inuyasha's attention and he stretched his way to it – and bit harshly into it. The demon growled at the younger and forced him down again biting him harshly in the pointed ear. Inuyasha hissed sharply in pain and when the older man lapped the spilling blood up he tried and failed to hold back a small moan. Urged on by the sound Sesshomaru ripped the last piece of garment of the other's lower body, ignoring the energetic body movement beneath him. Completely undressed, the hanyou felt the others hands on his shoulder, claws digging into the already abused skin. Inuyasha cursed loudly as he felt the demon's claws glide scratching from his shoulder down to his chest, before they (bypassing moko-moko) continued downwards over his belly and from there to his side. The hanyou grunted when he felt his brother's claws wander from his side to his lower back in mock caress. The gliding claws came to an halt and dug into the flesh of his lower back, making the hanyou involuntary arch into the older male.

Sesshomaru seemed to have waited for this reaction and started to rip off his own tattered clothes. Inuyasha tensed at the view of his stripping brother and tried to disregard his fluffy chain as he yet again challenged his silky binding. He could feel the first tingling of arousal rising in his body and he hated it. With each falling layer of textile Inuyasha could feel warmth begin to manifest in his stomach and slowly start to spread through his body. The heat rose to his cheeks as well as down to his gut, which the hanyou tried desperately to suppress. He looked away from the older male in embarrassment. The last thing his blasted brother needed was encouragement thought the hanyou wryly and shifted uncomfortable on the fur. The next moment he felt himself dragged forward by his ankle as the demon lord settled himself between his legs and pulled his knees to himself.

The hanyou looked in shock at the erect demon that made himself comfortable at his rear end. In shock he kicked at whatever he could reach of said demon, twisting his body in the confinement. The demon tightened his grip around the trashing form and nestled his member at the tight opening. "Sesshomaru! Don't you put that thing in my-aaah!" shouted the hanyou with a shrill wine. He made a high keening noise and squirmed in his fluffy binding as he tried to push the offending appendage out. The demon lord easily held the younger in place and groaned out in pleasure when he felt the warm heat engulfing him. Inuyasha felt the pulsing of the invading flesh and tried to curl into himself in pain. It felt like something in his body was torn. Shredded by the hard and hot invader. Inuyasha whimpered at the feeling and seeing his distress the older began to pet his tights in a soothing, yet clumsy manner (as he spilled even more blood) and nuzzled in addition his neck. Sesshomaru action was rewarded with growled death threads by the bristled captive. Inuyasha tried to break away from the semi-unwanted caress and trashed his head from side to side.

Sesshomaru seemed to be urged on by the enticing heat and moved back until only the head was left in the tight heat of his brother and snapped his hips forward, earning him a loud cry. Experimenting with various paces the demon lord took note of the other inu's reaction and could hardly control his body's response. Inuyasha could feel the hot length gliding in and out of his virgin body at the switching paces and varied thrusts forced him to gasp and moan. He was still sore from the penetration but his thoughts were ripped from him as Sesshomaru thrust deep into him digging into a certain spot deep in his body. The combination of pain and pleasure made the hanyou scream throatily and his breathing became heavier and rushed. Suddenly Sesshomaru slammed his hips forward and shoved his length brutally into the smaller body. He pulled immediately out and just as hard shifted forward again, setting a painful hard pace and rendering the smaller male into a cursing and panting mess. The demon lord shifted positions and hilted his member deep into the younger and made him scream as he focused on the sweet spot deep in the inu-hanyou.

Inuyasha couldn't focus on anything but the felling of Sesshomaru's flesh pulsing inside him as it pulled back and forward even harder and faster than before. All coherent thoughts had left him by this time and he lifted his legs and laid them around the other's waist to gain some balance to his swirling thoughts, as nothing made sense anymore. What little was left were his confused emotions and the strong pulses radiating within his body. After a while Sesshomaru gave a deep, hard thrust that struck Inuyasha's sensitive spot once more and tore the hanyou's orgasm from him. His head fell backwards as he came screaming. His channel tightened and his heat rose considerably – enticing the older one involuntary. This triggered the demons climax. The demon lord gave a satisfied growl and with a final hard strike of his hips against the backside of the younger man and released his essence into him. The hanyou could feel the stream of liquid pouring into his body. Exhausted he gaped in much needed air and tried to calm his quivering limbs. In his haze he saw the demon lord bend forward and biting harshly into the base of his bloody neck - forcing his energy into the young inu. For a short moment he felt his brothers instincts and some of the anesthetized feelings locked deep in the demon lord.

Inuyasha felt at the harsh sting of the bite his own fangs lengthen, but he refused to return the mark. Only two placed marks symbolize a successful mating and he would be damned before he would bind himself to his brother – so he bit harshly in his own flesh. No way would he give himself to that asshole. They were not real brothers, not even friends let alone lovers and at best times they had a mutual relationship of tolerance between them. 'No!' the hanyou resolved, a mating was the one thing he couldn't and wouldn't allow. Not like this! And not with that guy! Inuyasha bit harsher in his lips drawing even more blood, when he felt a slick hot appendage at the base of his collar bone lapping the oozing scarlet liquid up. The feeling increased which each wipe of the other's tongue over the sensitive mark, making the hanyou whimper in suppressed need to return it.

The DaiYokai looked confused but content at the smaller form buried under his weight, rendered immobile. The primitive instincts paid the unreturned mark no attention. His instincts expected the mark to be received in time to come. After a moment the older demon collapsed onto the smaller form and fell unconscious – the day's events finally taking their toll on the powerful being. Inuyasha was stuck beneath his brother with him still buried deep in his body. He could still feel his brother leaking his seed into him as he came closer to his own oblivion. With what little strength he had left he wiggled his way out of the crushing hug and the 'affectionate' fluff and crawled on all fours away from the slumbering dog lord. He only managed a few meters before his body gave out on him and he joined his brother in blissful darkness.

About an hour later the grey figure lifted himself with some difficulties onto his knees. He gasped in pain as he felt his insides being decomposed by the demon's acid. He took a look around the cave and saw two naked silver figures lying at the ground. Motionless. "Oh no! Shit! … please don't do this to me!" the man cursed desperately and jumped onto his feet. He lost immediate his balance and glided back to the ground. The poison! That blasted green acid! The figure's face darkened and he took a deep breath and puffed into a grey floating mass. In that new form he wrung out most of the poison like he was some wash cloth and admired for a moment the green substance that couldn't find a hold on his gas-like form. When most of the voracious substance was out of his system he darted to the youngster, whom he seemed to have failed to protect. He had been unconscious but it did not need a genius to figure out what had happened to these two, or better what the older had forced on the younger one. The bruises on his body and the raw mark at his neck spoke volumes.

Aring seethed. His face darkened in suppressed rage and his eyes slitted when they landed on the older male. The only one dressed took his dagger and made his way to the sleeping demon. Next to him he went to his knees and raised his daggers with a death glare to the demons throat. "Way to go, demon. Forcing yourself on a kid. You can be proud of yourself." mumbled Aring with a dark voice laced with sarcasm. "Give me one reason, demon. Just one, why I shouldn't just take your head and be done with you." the fog-spirit hissed. Then his eyes traveled over the unconscious naked figure and landed on the heavy bruise on his neck, where he was hit with the blunt side of the fang-sword and to a strange wound on his upper arm. The arm seemed to be infected and as Aring put his fingers into the wound (none too gently) he ripped out a strange shard. He was no demon so he could not smell it up like normal demons or animals, but he felt the auras of both man on the shard as well as some magic. The shard (Aring realized) was the indicator for the situation and with that the witch was responsible for this outcome. On the other hand this man had harmed the child, Aring mulled over in his head.

He discarded the shard as his gaze wandered over to the bruised neck once more. The little one could have killed the beast, but he chose not to. He wanted him to live. Inuyasha wanted this man to live. So it was decided. He will live – at least for now. He sheathed his dagger and placed his glowing index finger on the demon's temple and said evenly "Even if the fault is not entirely yours. It would be better if you remembered naught." With these words he forced the memories into a dark corner of the lord's mind. When he was done he went to the smaller figure and took a look around. His clothes were already starting to repair themselves but he couldn't wait for that long. With a sigh the man lifted the destroyed clothes up and put them on the curled up boy. Then he gathered the child's weapon as well as his own lost dagger and returned them to their sheaths. Afterwards he placed his finger on the younger's temple and sealed his memory as well with the words "Ignorance is indeed bliss, Inuyasha. Let us hope that you won't have to remember this day." The boy's face softened as he forgot what had happened and Aring grouched down next to the child.

The grey figure lifted the small form up and cradled him to his chest. With a last hostile glance back to the demon and the lair he turned and left.

**- tbc -**

I hope you enjoyed your choice and my interpretation of it. In my opinion it turned out quite alright and I am very content with the length of this chapter. Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: On different Paths**

- In the tunnels -

In the dark tunnel a bend and huffing figure walked with a pained face. Aring cradled the bloody but peacefully sleeping bundle to his chest. He couldn't prevent the last event but he would make certain that this child didn't suffer further. At least he could keep his promise to guard the child's mind from this nightmare. The sleeping spell he put on his lady's child should also ease some of his pain and help him heal faster.

And yet, even with his interferences - his failure left a bitter taste in his mouth as he stepped through the corny and dark tunnels. With his power he had erased their scent and hid them from being seen by any possible enemies. Hopefully it was enough if not he would fight to the bone for the little one. Aring refused to accept failure. Failing once was bad enough. Being the one that stood alone – left behind while the one that saved him is long gone – no, never again! Never again will people look at him in pity. He will never again be the 'bad example' that the scholars point to, while referring to failure and its outcome. Even if the gods themselves decided to fight his choice, they would regret it. This time they would regret it!

He was given a new chance. The child was the offspring of his late mistress. His beautiful and charming lady – that had at least once a week been his bane of existence. Gone. Aring's dark thought strayed from the hanyou's mother of the past to how he should proceed. He wanted to take him with him, but he had no means to nurse a wounded and he needed to check the little ones background, as well as what the lady requested. So there was no way that he could take the hanyou along, maybe a friend of the boy? From what he could feel Aring knew the Inuyasha didn't come on his own to this godforsaken place. There were two auras which overlapped with the hanyous, so they should be his companions. The first seems to be a mortal with spiritual powers, the second aura was smaller and hinted to a demonic beast. Both were close by and seemed gentle natured. Aring nodded to himself. He would take a look at this mortal and when he seems trustworthy, he would entrust him with the puppy.

Now that he thought of it, the name of the child was kind of strange. 'Dog Forest Spirit' Aring murmured to himself … the name was so fitting that it was a little creepy especially considering that the person naming the child did know naught about his real identity. Or did he knew something? Did InuTaisho guess the identity of his love? The thought was very disturbing. Particularly considering that they horded secrets like treasures and none of those were given away to outsiders or those with no connection to the families – especially not for free! Against his will Aring felt himself respecting the deceased demon.

A small groan made Aring look down at the child. He had opened his golden eyes and looked around sleepily. With his curious, drowsy and bewildered eyes he looked the first time his age and Aring smiled softly at the boy_. _The big eyes reminded him of his late mistress and the fog-man couldn't help himself – he wanted to care for the mixed-blood."Wait a moment little one. It won't be too long before you are back home. You came with a friend, right? Do you want to meet him now?" Aring asked with his silken voice. "Yeah" the hanyou said with a small voice due to his sleepiness. "We will soon be there, sleep a little longer" and as if he was listening, the hanyou closed his eyes and fell back to oblivion. Aring stopped his steps and waited a moment longer to make sure his charge was deep asleep before he settled him down. He cleaned him up and tended to his wounds as much as his own exhausted body allowed it. Afterwards he lifted him up and kept going to the aura which seemed to belong to Inuyasha's friend.

- In front of the mountain -

Remote from one of the cave's tunnels Miroku paced nervously. Kirara searched for a tunnel without a barrier so that they could go in, but up till now her search was without success. He did hold the demons down like he promised he would. All of them. Even now they were as helpless as newborns, but still he couldn't follow his companion. It was frustrating. As he tried to enter a tunnel barriers were flashing out of nowhere. He tried to shatter it but failed numerous times. He tried to break through with his blessed staff, with sutras and even with prayers to the local deity, but it was for naught.

No matter how much he thought of it, he couldn't understand where these obstacles came from or who made them. As he stood before the tunnel he could hear very distant fighting noises. The idea of Inuyasha facing the witch AND his brother on his own meant that he was in danger. After a long while Miroku could hear nothing, no matter how hard he strained his ears. The silence was even more unnerving than any battle sounds. The monk groaned and forced himself to settle down to think about his next options. The problem with that idea was that there were no other options left for him. He couldn't leave and abandon his friend even for a moment, was unable to follow thanks to the blasted barriers and he had already patrolled each tunnel that he could reach on foot. The human felt helpless as he waited for something. Anything.

A strange presence seemed to come closer to him and Miroku lifted himself up and raised his clinking staff. The presence felt strange, it was neither human nor demonic, so maybe a ghost? Miroku stiffened at that possibility. He was a cleric yes, but fighting spirits was always a very, very dangerous affair. In fact the only ones that faced them willingly were lunatics who didn't mind getting dragged to hell. Maybe he was lucky and it was only something the witch had created. As the human monk waited a silhouette could be seen in the dark cave. It was mostly covered by something that looked like smoke. And it seemed to carry something. As it came closer Miroku saw that it was no real spirit as it seemed to have a solid body, so maybe a demon-eremite? It carried a red-clad person and as Miroku looked at them he realized horrified that it was the missing inu.

Miroku stumbled forward but kept his eyes on the man carrying his companion. What the heck was that? It looked like trouble but judging by the way it held his friend it seemed gentle natured. Miroku stepped forward towards the being. "Thank you for bringing my friend. I was worried about him" the monk bowed politely. The monk fidgeted a moment before he seemed to collect himself. "I do not want to pry into your business but what are you doing here? Who and what are you?" the monk asked nervously. The figure walked past him – ignoring his presence – as he advanced to a big tree and placed Inuyasha under it on a soft spot of grass. As he lifted himself up he locked eyes with the monk "Know this human: I will only answer your questions because you belong to this child. I am Aring a 'Familiar', a serving spirit linked to nature you could say. For what I am doing here you ask, well actually I am not certain myself. I was forced here by a witch. Before she could bind me this hanyou saved me and thus got himself dragged into a battle." Aring looked sadly down to the silver-haired youth and continued "Now he is badly hurt. I healed some of his wounds and cleaned him up but he still needs rest and care." His eyes came back up and hardened. "Do you have the means to transport an injured person and to care for him?"

Miroku looked taken aback. Normally the human prided himself for his self-control, but the moment he had a good view on Aring's body and especially his face (or better dentists) he was shocked by the contradiction he could make out. He needed a few moments before he could concentrate on the Familiar's words and not just where those came from. It or better he really seemed good-natured contrary to his appearance. The monk took a deep breath and answered the question with a small smile "Yes, at the village we have a priestess that is very skilled and for the way there he can ride on Kilala. I don't think we will have any problems." The monk paused. "Please tell me, what happened to the witch. Is she responsible for what happened to him?"

"Sheema" Aring began "fled a while ago. Normally I would try to persuade you to hunt her down, but I do not think that will be necessary. Or a wise choice as a matter of fact" "Why is that?" the monk asked bewildered. "In the cave the witch and a powerful demon went against each other. The witch betrayed the demon and I had the impression that said demon won't let this go. I am certain that the witch will regret her actions very soon." over Aring's face went at these words a shadow of malicious satisfaction. He paused for a moment and seemed to calm himself. "I would like to stay with the child but I need to check a few things. Farewell young human. We will meet again soon" with these words Aring turned around and went into the surrounding forest.

As he was gone the monk turned to his seemingly sleeping friend. He looked him over for open wounds. From what he could see there was hardly a spot on his friends body that had not been bleeding. His entire frame was covered in dried blood, luckily there were no lethal or serious wounds left. In fact if not the bloody robes, Miroku would have sworn his friend was just napping. Aring seemed to be a quite skilled healer. He heard as Kilala approached and greeted her. The saber-cat bend her head to Inuyasha and nuzzled purring his cheek. For a moment her attention came to an halt and she sniffed intently at the unconscious male. Then she lifted her head and directed her questioning gaze to Miroku, who explained to her what needed to be done and asked her to carry their friend. Kilala nodded to that and with her assistance he put the hanyou over her back. Afterwards he climbed on her as well and they took off. Back to the village.

- Back in the cave -

Lord Sesshomaru awoke with the worst headache he could ever remember. Actually it was not only the worst headache, but in general he felt like minced meat as his body shook in pain. It felt like his mother's castle was dropped onto him. Or like he was run over by all of Naraku's pests. He gathered his senses and took a look around. A cave. A magical circle … and with that some memories came back. He had been betrayed by a witch he had hired. … Sheema was the name! They came here to get information about the reason of the decay of his lands but she went against him and they fought and then … then some vial was broken and there was a strange scent ... what happened then?

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and placed his elegant fingers on his temple. The DaiYokai tried to remember what happened afterwards but he couldn't put his memory back in place. He also had a strange taste in his mouth. Hopefully nothing the witch gave him or worse, maybe some other vermin that crawled in when he was sprawled on the floor. He shuddered lightly in disgust. As he held his temple he realized his arm was uncovered. His eyes snapped open and his stomach lurched with a bad feeling. As he stood up from the hard ground, he checked his battered body and realized horrified that he was unclosed. His eyes widened slightly and his lips parted in surprise. His eyes tinged red, his hands fisted to his sides and his markings lost their straight form and jaggered. The demon shook with rage. It seemed that the witch really had a death wish! First deceiving and betraying him, out of all people HIM. But that was apparently not enough for that human, she then had to disgrace him like this. Even his own mother never would have dared to touch his skin like this. He couldn't stop the malicious growl that escaped his throat. She would pay. Dearly!

He gathered his scattered and partly torn clothes, his sword Bakusaiga, as well as his last nerves and went on his way back to his people. Even as he got everything back in place it still felt as if something important was missing or gone. Something precious. Did she steal something from him as well?! The young lord checked his possessions and mulled what might be gone, but in vain. Everything seemed to be in place. He shook his head and went on with his way. He would try to figure it out later, now he just wanted to be done with this event. As he exited the tunnel into the bright daylight he was shocked once more that 'lovely day'. His trusted subordinates were sealed and looked like they were on display, like cattle on a marked day. He approached the seals and had to acknowledge whoever placed them. From the inside it was almost impossible for most demons to escape but it was quite easy to destroy from the outside. He drew Bakusaiga and send shockwaves into the seals which went down into flames.

The bear demons and shortly after the horse demoness were free once again. They looked angry. Very angry. The demon lord commanded them to search the forest which they did with fierce determination and a promise written clearly over their faces. After they checked the surrounding very, _very_ thoroughly they came back to report to him. From what they told Sesshomaru the seals flared up shortly after Sheema entered the cave with him and trapped them for hours. First the brawlers were forced to stay put, then with a trick his lieutenant. Later the seals got weaker (Sesshomaru guessed that that was the moment the witch fled and her magic weakened) but they were already too weakened to open the seal themselves. Apparently the seal fed itself on the youki of its captive. Sesshomaru was impressed by the witch and her tricks. There was hardly anybody who would openly go against him, but to betray him, to humiliate him, to rob him and to ridicule his troupes all in one go meant that the witch was either very courageous or insane. Possible both but probably the later Sesshomaru decided.

But it didn't matter how mental that wench was. She knew too much and she had betrayed him without loosing a second thought. She would pay dearly. He sent a message back to his castle to get some troupes ready. It seemed it was time for a witch-hunt. And so the DaiYokai left with his troupes to correct what had gone wrong.

**- tbc -**

Maybe some of you are confused for the term 'Familiar'. I do not know if this term is used in this language as well, but in my tongue it refers to a magical being born to serve its master alone. Imagine the ultimate servant and guard in one being. It normally has the form of a beast-like being.

As translation of Yasha's name I found various names. The first was 'Forest Spirit', then I had 'Dark Night' and in an old legend Yashas were some sort of warrior spirits or souls. Sadly I do know naught about those, so I doubt I shall use any of those spirit races (does any of you know about those?). Since the 'Forest Spirit' fits my story altogether I will use this name. Maybe I will use the 'Dark Night' another time. Oh yeah while we are at names, I once read that Yasha means 'demon' but that's bull. 'Demon' means 'Akuma' or 'Yokai' so please do not mistake these terms.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Of Gatherings and Encounters**

The weather was great, a bright blue endless sky with a few lost sheep-white clouds scattered around. The birds chirped happily in the lush green forest. A picture like a painting of late spring. And right next to the gentle scenery was hell. Three weeks had passed. Three weeks of slow healing and changing to the inu-hanyou. Inuyasha was in a foul mood but for his life he couldn't really say why he acted so crazy. It all started the moment he opened his eyes. He was back in the village surrounded by the other hunters and that blasted wolf that just had to be there at that fucking moment! His mind had felt funny and his body tingled with something he couldn't place in his mind.

He remembered he was sore all over but above that he was hungry. Starved! But as he pushed himself up and tried to get something edible the others started fussing over him. Especially Kagome seemed determined to test her new medicine-knowledge on him. They tried to force some foul junk down his throat but his body started to choke on it. It tasted kind of over seasoned and he felt ill. Kagome was furious. She shouted something along the line of belittling food made by her. As she ranted and he panted heavily and thus ignored her, she lost what little nerve she had and shouted his dreaded word four fucking times. And sent him right back into oblivion. At least that way he was able to avoid the 'junk-food'.

As he came to later that day he clawed instinctively at whatever put pressure on his belly. Sango luckily managed to throw herself out of danger but after that the others got nervous around him. Of course he had immediately apologized to the female slayer but still since that day everything went crazy around him. Especially his nights were feared. He started to trash around in his sleep and someone with his strength was bound to cause trouble like punching the floor or the walls to rubble. Even when he slept outdoors in Goshinboku, he was bound to cause trouble. The third night he even managed to throw a boulder – A FUCKING BOULDER! – in the roof of one of the village men. Luckily none of them really liked him from the very beginning, so there was no loss of trust whatsoever. But still, Inuyasha felt bad. Now he seemed to sleepwalk and threw heavy items around at night and at day the hanyou's body seemed to have taken a liking to neglect his mind and stomach. Even his beloved Ramen made him now sick, in fact there was hardly anything cooked that made him NOT sick. But he didn't know why, it was like he had forgotten something special, at least that was what it felt like to him. Only in his sleep - where his body would go crazy - he seemed to remember something, but the moment he forced his eyes open it was gone again. It already felt like an endless cycle after mere three weeks: Go nuts at night, then annoy the others with food in the morning, shout at whoever comes to close, followed by fighting a little more with those that do not seem to get enough of it and at the end of the day, go back to sleep and cause the other nightmares. At least he wasn't the only one suffering, of that he made unconsciously certain. The hanyou sighed unhappily with a wry smile.

Luckily none of his friends, not even the flea-ridden wolf, caught up to his risen need of fresh raw meat. Normally he needed once or twice a month a fresh kill but now he ate it on a daily routine. Each sunrise and sunset he went to hunt if circumstances allowed it. At least his wounds had healed quite nicely. Beside some numbness he was fit and bouncing like a ball. Truthfully, he really was hopping on the sole of his feet because he just couldn't keep still for more than a few minutes. It was like he was a small kid again, one that was high on sugar. He needed distance to the others. In the beginning they had been understanding but lately it didn't seem that way anymore. Inuyasha could understand them for the most part, but he kept silent. But still, it has only been three weeks. Not even a month and they seemed to get tired of him.

Currently he was hiding beneath some tree branches hidden by the green curtain of nature and kept on listening to their conversation with him as topic.

"I can't believe that yerk! He treats us like we were supposed to be at his hands and feet all day. And why is he so picky about food?! I mean, come on this is Inuyasha. Normally you have to watch out that he doesn't eat the bowl along with the dish or your fingers while he is at it and now he throws everything away! I know I am not such a bad cook and neither are any of you" Kagome fumed madly. Sango nodded sadly "Yeah, I know what you mean. He seems to get worse." "Hey at least you guys didn't have to help rebuilding the roof of Tougun. Even now the poor guy keeps dreaming of flying rocks!" Miroku said massaging his tired shoulders. "Yeah, why didn't he help? Even I helped" Shippo said self-righteous "He is probably faking most of it. After all he looks just fine and he runs around even more than normal." "You are partly right, Shippo" Kouga said as he waltzed to the others. Since he and Kagome had decided to stay together - as in going out - he became a constant in the village. "I think he ain't faking his condition, but he definitely is high on energy. You guys probably haven't noticed it by now but Inuyasha practically always smells of fresh blood in the morning these days" Kouga began and with that got the full attention of the others "He goes hunting almost every day and often he goes twice." "But me and Kirara would have smelled that much blood Kouga!" Shippo retorted. "Normally yes, but I saw him eating special herbs which intervene with the normal smell and at the river his smell is quite strong. But it has a bright side. At least now he takes regularly a bath" the wolf demon laughed. The friends looked like someone slapped them in the face. "Since when does he eat raw meat?" Kagome questioned no one in particular. "That sounds so wrong, I mean he is partly human! Beside why would he eat it and since when did you know of that?" the young miko bombarded the wolf. "He has always eaten raw meat. Every demon has to eat specific food from time to time. Same goes for hanyous I guess. I suppose they don't need it that often as normal demons do. And as for the matter of how long I have known about his eating habits… Well, shortly before we met one of my wolfs was hunted down and the scent that was on it was Inuyasha's. That's why I was so mad at him when we first met and why I know he already ate raw meat back then. And Kagome, as for the 'why', demons eat more fresh kills when they are sick or hurt. And judging by the fact that he eats it daily for weeks it must be something serious." the wolf prince finished.

"What does that mean? I mean even if it would be an act no one acts while he sleeps and Inuyasha is not the kind of guy to kill just to deceive us. So there has to be a reason to his behaviour" Miroku said slowly. "Back then he fought a witch which was skilled with dark magic. Maybe she cursed him with something. It could also explain why he cannot remember anything that happened" Sango mused loudly. "His demon side is probably about to run riot thanks to that witch" Kagome said stuck up. To that the kittling crawled over to her. Kouga snorted to the kits antics in disgust. "We could ask the puppy himself." Kouga began and took a deep breath and shouted "Get out of hiding mutt-face. I can smell your hide so get over here and explain yourself!"

The hanyou groaned and jumped out of his tree and walked slowly over to his friends "Stop talking about me behind my back." The hanyou grumbled and placed himself next to the others. "Inuyasha is it true that you ate meat well … raw?" Kagome asked stretched. Inuyasha looked at her disbelievingly. Out of all possible and impossible questions she wanted to know out of him, she asked THAT, when she was just told that he might be suffering. He shook his head and looked at her "Of course I did. Why do you think I try to give the runt from time to time raw meat. I ain't into blood and everything but from time to time Shippo, Kilala, Kouga and me need it. Simple as that." the hanyou lifted an eyebrow and kept looking at Kagome who was strangely silent. "Why did you never say anything?! I thought we were your friends?!" Kagome stated angrily her voice raising. "What do you mean tell you? Do you actually ever listen when I say something to you? 'Sides this got nothing to do with you so why should I mention it. You also don't tell me what you eat daily! So stop with your damn whining!" Inuyasha retorted his temper flaring up.

"Why you?! Sit boy! Sit! Sit! Sit! You are impossible!" the miko screeched and went huffing back into the village. The wolf demon looked confused after her retreating back. Shippo just shook his head exhaling and followed the miko to calm her loose nerves. Inuyasha meanwhile climbed out of his new hole. He growled sharply. To hell with her! How dare she! Prints of his body are all over the landscape of the fucking country! When will she stop this shit! His body hurt badly. As Inuyasha lifted himself up the humans looked at him reproachful and were just opening their mouths to voice their opinion when the hanyou bolted from them into the woods. He needed space. Some time alone best far away, so he sped through the forest, which had always given him shelter.

- Elsewhere in the western lands -

Sesshomaru stood regally and aloof in front of the battered body of the witch. He was greatly disappointed. For all her potions and backhanded tricks, she was weak when it came down to it. Like almost everyone else in this land. Apparently she didn't trap his subordinates so it was probably some bypassing cleric out to do his 'holy duty' to the 'noble human race'. Whoever it was, it was irrelevant now. No harm was done. "Jacken, examine her possessions. Maybe we will find something." the DaiYokai ordered and left the kappa behind to go back to his ward, who went into hiding, for the while the battle lasted. As the dog-lord came approached the human he could hear Rin chatter and giggle with someone else. At this he sped the remaining way and stopped in front of two little girls. One was his young human ward Rin sitting next to Ah-Uhn, the other sat on a rock with her back directed to him. As she turned and looked at him he could see that she was younger than Rin but he wasn't certain exactly what Rin had brought back this time. At least it didn't look like another 'pet'. She looked human and had rounded ears and shoulder-length black hair. She also had no yoki, instead she had a strange leaf-like scent to her. Her shining pink eyes and the fact that she held a floating white flower over her little palms excluded her further from average humans.

"Rin, come here" he ordered stoicly and watched as his human follower bid the strange child farewell and asked her to come and play another time. Sesshomaru snarled inwardly at that invitation. As Rin hopped to him the two-headed dragon rose from his spot and followed the human. When the girl was by his side he heard Jacken shuffle through the Underwood in his direction. A second later he was by next to him with a serious expression on his face. "Milord, I found a medal among her possession that looks familiar. Apart from it, there was nothing out of place. The vials are all broken and the charms were burnt in your battle, milord. But the medal itself is very particular. In the beginning it shone dully but now it brightened. Here, please take a look" with that he handed the golden object to his lord and followed Rin's gaze to the strange child. "What the?! Who are you and what are you doing?" the Kappa screeched fingering his staff.

"My name me cannot tell. Me was on my way to meet someone when me found little Rin." the little girl began, while pointing at Rin. "We talked a little and she said she loved flowers so me wanted to give one to her. A friend of flowers is always a pleasure to meet." the little girl said nodding to her own words to confirm them. She was tiny and yet she seemed kind of mature and also a little vain. "You two must be Lord Sesshomaru and master Jacken. Rin told me a lot about you. She takes great pride to have been chosen by you." the pink-eyed child continued "She also told me that you are about to go to a village in which a hanyou named Inuyasha lives. Is that correct?" To that question Jacken exploded "How dare you address my lord so casually?! Why should we answer you question you –"."Jacken," Sesshomaru interrupted "be silent. As for you child: We are indeed on the way to that village, why are interested in a hanyou? Are you one yourself?" he was a little curious to know exactly what dared to speak so bluntly and evasive to a DaiYokai. Besides hearing a tiny child like her calling Rin 'little' felt a little off.

The strange child lifted herself up from the ground and held her small hands up and the pure white flower floated from her to his ward. "Firstly, take this Rin. This flower was born for you, so you should keep it." She dusted herself off and looked at the DaiYokai with a sweet smile. He saw a little surprised and amused that she wore a rich purple kimono with golden bubbles and a fitting golden obi, both were good quality, but far too big on her form so she had pulled her sleeves and hem up. "Now to your question, my lord. No my lord, me is not hanyou, but me is connected to this parti-… particular one. Me wish to meet him. If you would not mind me would like to join you." the child said it matter of fact like. The tall man looked estimating at the smaller child and pondered her request. "Very well child. You may accompany this Sesshomaru, but do not forget that you will be watched." "Fine by me milord. Please lead the way" she said directly bowing a little.

To that Sesshomaru smiled a barely visible smile. After the imbeciles demise there was only little interesting things happening around. But it seemed that his little brother had himself involved in another quiet promising situation. The yokai nodded to her, turned around and led the way to the village. The imp and the two chattering children followed. Ah-Uhn trailed lazily but on guard after them. As the DaiYokai moved on he took a good look on the medal. It was the brightly shining emblem of the panther demons: a stretched paw from the side with ruby claws.

**- tbc -**

Aaaaand … another chapter finished! I am happy, this chapter felt like it wrote itself. I like the kid. I only created the little brat and already adore her.

Don't forget to review.


	8. Chapter 8

Good news. I think starting now all chapters should be longer. Thanks for the review to you guys. Glad you like my idea ^^

**Chapter 8: Spirited away**

The village of his half-brother was directly in front of them. They have travelled for four days. In that time Sesshomaru discovered that the new addition to his party was most interesting. In those four days she only consumed water and some fruits. She treated people how she liked them. She was playful and curious around Rin like any other child, with Ah-Uhn she was rather touchy while she evaded him indirectly almost all day (not that he minded). Jacken was simply ignored. Said imp once stepped in front of her to argue but was simply knocked down and stepped over. Needless to say the imp hated her guts but he knew she was stronger than him. They all knew after they were attacked by a group of red Onis on the second day. Sesshomaru took care of the entire group of demons but one of them charged the smaller targets. The little girl had lifted her arms sideways like she wanted to embrace the charging monstrosity and emitted a strange sound, which kind of resembled the tune of a harp. The beautifully deep, yet scary sound seemed to awake the surrounding trees. As the Oni lifted its giant clawed hand to strike, the trees swung their braches at the demon and stroked it hard at its neck, paralyzing it with pain and lack of air. Immediately after the blow to its wind-pipe a long branch went far back and rushed forward and impaled the demon, killing it with its force. The little girl just went on after asking Rin if she was alright and smiled brightly to the speechless demons. As she walked regally off she tripped over her too large kimono once more ruining the atmosphere she had tried to create.

By the end of his musings they had already arrived at the border of the village where they were curiously eyed by humans. As usual the humans seemed to have nothing to do but gape all day. Sesshomaru smelled the air and realized that his brother wasn't in the village at the moment and that the hanyous friends were already on their way to greet him and to take care of Rin. As he went past the (in his eyes) dirty humans he could smell the tension around the elder's home. The tension was nothing new to this village. For all the plain beauty, there was at the same time always argues and fights at the next corner. That contrast increased the moment the hunters had decided to stay at the village.

As the small group approached the hut of the head priestess the five travellers came to a halt. The DaiYokai looked stonily at the small, incomplete hunter group as some played with their babes. Those that had expected him bowed to him in greetings. "Uwaaah there are bigger already!" Rin shouted merrily and ran over to play with the female hunter's twins and to pet the cat. Sesshomaru's lips twisted a little (which was a smile for him), Jacken went on about behaviour and the leaf-child laughed openly at Rin's antics. That got the hunters attention. They bowed politely once more to the Western lord and eyed wondering the new child. "Hello there" Kagome said friendly and looked curiously at the girl "I didn't know Sesshomaru had another cutie with him. What's your name? When did you start travelling?" Before the one spoken to could open her mouth Kaede opened hers. "Calm down Kagome. They probably walked quite a distance. Could ye be a darlin' and heat up the kettle? We can talk while we eat. It's already late anyway." Kagome nodded reluctantly and went into the hut. The rest slowly followed inside. Miroku and Kohaku each took a babe, while Kouga, Sango and Jacken argued about another trivial matter. Sesshomaru followed silently like a ghost while Ah-Uhn went behind the hut to feed on the lush green. One of the girls went inside keeping on chattering as if her life depended on it whereas the other turned around and searched the village. Rin's curious eyes followed her new friend but decided to follow her lord.

The strange girl, forgotten for the moment, ignored the confused stares she received from the humans as she checked everything. The villagers couldn't understand how a high-level-demon could keep little human girls with him. One of said girls was currently analyzing the village and its inhabitants. The village citizens themselves eyed the new child hidden in all the layers of fabric. The girl circled each house and everyone that she met on her way. It was a small village but she kind of liked it. It was full of live and very lively and she could feel Inuyasha's presence everywhere in it. She had never seen him but from the feeling he distributed he seemed to be a nice guy. But something felt off. It was almost as if his aura was overlaid with another one. She shook her head. "Come on, me know that feeling, but from where?!" She bit her lip in thought. "Hey you," Shippo called and ran up to her "come back, you must be hungry." to that she only nodded politely. The fox demon turned around and waved at her, so she followed him. "I must warn you, the taller ones are really childish. They probably can't wait to bombard you with questions. So you gotta be prepared." he said grinning. To that the leaves-child laughed "If that's all, bring it!"

In the hut soup was already handed out to everyone and the atmosphere was relaxed as everyone enjoyed their food. The girl took her place next to Rin and a handsome demon with ice-blue eyes. "Here ye go" said an old human with an eye patch and handed her a bowl. As she was about to begin the girl from before (closed quite skimpy for that region) questioned her again. "So who are you little one? Why are you with Lord Sesshomaru?" 'So it already begins, huh?' thought the girl wryly and lowered her spoon. "My name me cannot tell you. Me promised to someone dear to me, but Rin called me 'Blossom' from the way we first met. So may all of you. Me is here to meet someone named Inuyasha, but it seems he is currently gone. Do you know when he will return?" The humans looked at her in surprise. That was not what they had expected.

"What do you want that jerk for?" Kagome hissed still pissed off. Blossom looked at her with small eyes and barely visible anger hidden behind a stretched smile. "That is for me to know." Sango was the next asking a question "You are not human, at least not a full-blooded one, correct?" Blossom pink eyes scanned Sango's open face as she answered "Me is a full-blood, but no me not human." Rin wanted to join the questioning and chirped in "What are you, Blossom? Ah, I know! Kagome ones brought a story here about elves. You are one aren't you? You have so pretty eyes!" the adorable girl practically bounced on her cushion. Blossom laughed at her reaction. "No, me way better then those long-ears!" she purred and winked at the excited girl. To that even Kouga laughed. He started to like the kid, she was a little off, but in a very cute manner.

"Hey, where did you learn about elves?" Kagome asked "they are beings of fantasy from my world." "Your world?" repeated Blossom puzzled. Kagome smiled smugly "Yeah my world, I am from the future." "No. You are not, if you were, me would be as well and me is not" cleared Blossom up. "Of course I am from the future. About 500 years into it to be precise. Look at my new uniform, you won't find something like that around here." Kagome tried to correct the strange child who just shook her head still smiling. "You are wrong. Me can prove it with your own history. Tell me Kagome, how do the people in your world react to demons, witches, gods and spirits?" Blossom asked counting each term on her fingers. "What do you mean? Those things do not exist anymore in the future" Kagome stated confused. "So your people don't know about beings like those (the girl pointed to Jacken and Sesshomaru). Explain, you just said yourself that everything that is common knowledge in this world is a myth in yours. How could people forget about someone like lord Sesshomaru, especially considering that in 500 years he will still be in the prime of his life just like all demons, spirits and hanyous. Demons live eternally unless they wish to age and die. And me doubts all demon want to die in the near future." To that the young miko had no answer. "You are not from the future" repeated Blossom calm and gently as if she would speak to an ignorant child and not an elder. With that the chatter continued on and almost everyone seemed to join in the conversation/interrogation. Everyone, but a certain DaiYokai.

The lord of the inu didn't miss a word the child said. The child spoke in riddles. One moment she seemed clueless and the next she showed knowledge that was normally kept secret. She answered all questions without really answering to most of them. They didn't know anything about her, not even her real name or her intention and yet it was almost natural to have her in the picture. Sesshomaru knew she could kill, she had done so before without hesitation, but he wasn't certain to which degree. He did not trust her, for that she carried to many inconsistencies on her small shoulders. The kimono she wore was probably stolen as well. No one would dress a child that way. He knew some children would do that by themselves, even Rin did that once. Back then she had presented him his kimono on herself that one special day. But 'Blossom' seemed to mature for these games. So maybe she-

"Urgh, what did you put in the food?!" Blossom looked pale and gagged at her first spoonful. Interrupting the calmness. "What's wrong with ye child?" Kaede asked concerned. Blossoms eyes were big in shock and her hand went to her throat while the other fisted her kimono. "Sorry, me needs to get out for a while" with that she jumped up and ran clumsily outside. The others followed her concerned. "What's with you Blossom?" Kagome asked full of concern "Are you allergic to something in the soup?" The little girl heaved dryly and shook slowly her head. "No, not really. Our kind cannot digest salt. On our food is NEVER salt! … Me forgot that you people put it on almost _everything_! Don't worry about me, in a minute … me is better" the girl trailed off and started heaving once more.

The group was at a loss. The words 'our kind' still were ringing in their heads. "Blossom, shall I get something for you? Maybe tea?" Miroku asked full of concern. The girl shook her head once more. "How about-" Sesshomaru began but was cut off.

"Thanks, but I think you have offered her enough as it is." a deep silky voice said. The group spun around to those words. Even the demon lord had not realized that new company had arrived and seemed openly surprised for the first time. About fifteen meters away leaned against a tree a tall man with shoulder-length grey hair, angry greyish eyes and a very wide mouth without lips. He looked furiously mad. Miroku gasped in shock. He knew that person from the unfortunate hunt. As the fog-man realized he had their undivided attention he pushed himself off the tree and moved forward. "Stay where ye are. Who are you and what do you want?" Kaede said lifting her bow at the figure. "My, my, such manners. Very fitting to animals such as you." the being sneered angrily. "As for introduction. I already introduced myself to the monk and I have no intention to repeat myself to cattle! And as for you Kotodoki! You shouldn't be here, you stupid child! These fools could have killed you with their incompetence! You will come back with me!" The little girl straightened herself up and shook her head defiantly at the figure. "No, me haven't met Inuyasha yet! Me wanna meet him. He should have returned decades ago! Me will not return without him, Aring!" the little girl apparently named Kotodoki shouted, her pink eyes blazing furiously in her pale face. The group looked confused once more from the shadow-covered man to the girl they just ate with.

To the child's tantrum Aring just smiled. "It seems that we had the same idea." The fog man turned on his heel and went back to the forest edge. The group waited not knowing how to act to the unknown person and situation. He lifted his left hand and it lengthened and disintegrated to fog moving behind the trees and out of vision. As it returned it was gathered around a limp red-clad figure which he brought to himself. "Actually I am even ahead of you little one. As you can see this child is ready for transport and I gathered all I needed. So come!" Aring said, forcefully throwing his other hand out which defused in fog as well and spun around Kotodoki. The bonded child was lifted into the air and pulled at an amazing speed to the Familiar. The little girl struggled for a moment until she was brought to his chest and his part of the dissolved hand cupped her face. "Calm down, feel this" the fog-man cooed and placed something on the child's eye lid and the girl fell asleep right where she hung in midair. "Wait a minute, what's going on? What are you doing with Inuyasha and Blossom?" Kagome brought up confused. None of them really understood anything anymore. But they realized that they had missed the moment to attack. Now it was too late. The being had tucked under one arm Blossom - no Kotodoki - while next to him floated their peacefully sleeping friend. "Aring, you saved Inuyasha that one time at the mountain. What do you intend to do now? I thought that you cared for him, that you OWED him!" Miroku shouted angered. His friends looked firstly at the monk, than with understanding to the one in front of them. They were told what had happened in the back of the mountain weeks ago and now they had a face to the Familiar Aring. The DaiYokai was at a loss. Could they mean the mountain where he fought the witch the other day? Was it possible that this 'Aring'-figure was responsible for his fleeting memory, or his trapped troops? "I do care for him and I am here to make sure he is taken care of. I shall return both children to the only place where they TRULY belong!"

Aring gave a small mock bow to them grinning with flashing needle-fangs and then his body exploded to a gigantic cloud of gas. The mist was too thick to see ones own nose beside something in front of them. Kaede lowered her bow and the group went closer to where there expected to find each other. The demons tried to see through the fog with their eyes, as well as with their ears and nose but they tried in vain. In the centre of the fog-cloud where the group stood the air was almost milky white. A small whisper in their heads made them all jump _"From now on, humans and demons alike won't be allowed to harm these children. None of you shall reach them! As for the boy. From this point on, his destiny shall change for the better. WE will make sure of it! Now dog demon, you have something that is not yours!"_ the fog that surrounded Sesshomaru concentrated and kept him in place while it reached around him took hold of a bright golden item. _"Bye, bye. If destiny will work in my favour we shall never meet each other ever again."_ with that the fog rushed away in Western direction. Clearing their field of vision. As they looked after it they could see sometimes something golden, red, silver and purple flash through the mist.

Sesshomaru didn't waste any second. He gathered his youki and took to the sky in his small energy-like form. Kilala followed him with Miroku and Sango on her back after they got their weapons and Kagome's bow from the hut. Shippo carried Kagome and followed on a slower pace, but already faster thanks to his training. Kouga ran after the fog on foot, but was quickly left behind.

The fog-hunt had started.

At a neck-breaking pace they chased after the mist-foe. Leaving behind the familiar area and headed deeper into the Western Lands. The fog flew both deep between the tree trunks as well as above the crowns. Always changing his position. Continuously trying to get rid of his pursuers. Focused in the hunt none of the hunters took notice of the stunned humans and demons that looked after the fog-hunting group as they sped by. None of them realized in what kind of scene they were taking part, as they attacked a fleeing cloud.

They passed forest by forest. Flew over sleeping hills. Through corny tunnels. Between the trunks of narrow forests. The speed never wavering as it went on and on. While the chase lasted all parties tried to stop the fog by trying to dive into it, blocking it's way or by tearing into it with their weapons, arrows and claws, but the fog countered each move by dissolving at the concerned spot. They tried to grab the three colourful spots in the speedy greyish-cloud, but the colourful specks seemed to disappear and appear in the mass at random moments and places. It seemed in vain until some time passed. As the assaults continued the fog lost some of it's speed and the weapons seemed to hit something solid, making the fog-substance twitch at each assault while it fled.

In the distance a human city could be made out in which the fog headed. The hunters could hear the terrified screams of its inhabitants as the fog rushed towards the village like a swarm of starved cicadas or a falling thunderstorm-cloud from the sky. The mist went down. Right into the narrow streets and alleys, where it swarmed into streets forcing the pursuers to follow from a distance above. Hindering them in their attacks. The inhabitants pressed themselves into the walls and onto the ground as the grey current washed past them. Those who were not fast enough collapsed or where pulled along the stream of fog, as it headed to a small shrine in the Eastern corner of the village.

As the fog approached the shrine, a gigantic black tree with white blossoms with a divine ribbon attached to it reacted. Its stem shone in various shades of greenish light and made the plant look like a shattered mirror. The fog rushed right into the light and disappeared into the green brightness. The hunters still tried to keep up with the fogs pace, but they were still a distance away. As the last rest of the fog went into the monument, the gentle giant became pitch-black once more.

The friends had to stop themselves to not crush into the old tree. As they looked at its dark surface, they realized exhausted that they had failed. All of them had failed. He had escaped. He was out of reach. Together with the medal, their friend and a little girl they just got to know. All gone to a place which might be impossible to follow.

**- tbc -**

Another fist time for me: My first persecution scene. How did you like it? It was quite difficult but also a lot of fun to write. In fact this is currently one of my own favourite chapters.

In this chapter I tried to hint to the fact that Kagome's world and the feudal era she visits are not in correspondence with each other. But that fact will be explained in detail at a later time.

By the way. Did any of you find out to exactly which race Kotodoki (=Heartbeat of Harps) belongs? I gave in this chapter many hints. Those who are familiar to Japanese folklore will find out and to those who are not … well, next chapter the race will introduce itself and clear some shadowed parts up.

So look forward to it!


	9. Chapter 9

I am glad you guys like the chapters so far. So let's not waste time and space and go on.

**Chapter 9: Welcome to your new Life**

Inuyasha was comfortably pressed against something warm. He heard small whispers around him but could neither pinpoint from which direction the murmurs came from or how many took part in the conversation. His body felt heavy and it was almost impossible for him to open his eyes. Something warm and soothing rubbed his back gently and the hanyou forced his eyes to slowly open. The first thing he saw were multitude coloured dots on something dark green – when a hand entered his vision and stroked his cheek Inuyasha bolted. The hanyou gave a surprised yelp and tried to jump from the offending appendage but was kept easily in place by something around his waist. His eyes widened and his gaze landed on some vine-like things around his middle and wrists. As he looked past those he realized he was sitting on somebody's lap. His ears flattened a little at the truth he was facing. As he felt his head being lifted by a soft hand and he got to look at the person cradling and binding him, the ears vanished completely in his mane.

Intense pink orbs floated in front of his golden ones and looked amused and gently down at him – directly in front of him. Inuyasha felt his jaw go slack at the fact that he was sitting on some lady's lap like a child or some pet. Dumbstruck he tried to lift his arms to pry her hand from his by now heated cheek but realized once more that the vines did a great job at keeping him still. Miserably he tugged at the annoyingly clingy plants. The lady laughed – probably at his expression – and her face went a little distance to his. Finally he could take a real look at the strangers face. He saw that the woman had the shortest hair-style he had ever seen on a woman. It was about the length of that Hobo-guy from Kagome's school but it looked far more elegant and emphasized her beautifully aristocratic features as well as her long tendril-earrings. She had short ebony-like hair, milky skin and shining pink eyes in which lights seemed to be dancing.

Inuyasha was thrown out of his inspection as his head suddenly collided with her chest as she yanked him closer to herself and petted him behind his ears. The hanyou couldn't help but squirm uncomfortable. "What the hell do you think you are doing? Let go of me!" Inuyasha shouted out and tried to wiggle his way out of the embarrassing cuddle. "There is no way I will let go in this instant. It's my first time holding my nephew so please have leniency with this old lady as long as this lasts" she cooed fondly at him. At that the hanyou's eyes shot open and he looked up at the crazy woman who was squeezing his guts out of him. "What did you just say?" Inuyasha whispered.

The lady finally loosened her death-grip and allowed some air in the ruffled hanyou. "I haven't introduced myself, have I? … My name is Shioshiso and I am the current head of the Diwata-Clan." She lowered her head a little in a form of greeting that would have looked regal if he wasn't currently occupying her tights. The hanyou looked confused and incredulous at the woman. "Please don't worry, child. I do not mean any harm to you." the Diwata-lady began. The hanyou tugged once more at his restraints and gave in for the moment. The Diwata didn't really seem to mind him messing with the vines; she probably knew they would hold. "What happened to my friends? Where are they?" the hanyou asked his captor. "The ones you were with should still be at the village. Let us change the topic for a moment, Inuyasha. You are probably surprised why you are here and what will follow this meeting." to this the hanyou nodded with a frown. Shioshiso looked at him intently and began once more "For the time being you are to get to know your family and yourself. In short you are here to learn. Secondly, Aring informed me about some issues that were NOT pleasant about your 'background' and he was worried about you being there. And so am I. That is why he brought you here this urgently."

Her direct way of addressing matters reminded him of his brother. But at that last statement his control broke down. "Urgently, my ass! He took my out from behind and dragged me who knows where! And what do you mean 'unpleasant' background!" Inuyasha yelled furiously.

Lady Shioshiso sighed. "With 'unpleasant background' I also meant this" the woman whispered and raised the Kotodama beads around the hanyou's neck with a finger. "Later we will take those cursed monstrosities of your body. You have done nothing wrong to deserve being chained like some mad animal!" Shioshiso hissed and her temper flared for a second before she regained control over her feelings. When she continued she sounded sad. "I really miss the old days. Back then we would have killed anyone that would even think about chaining a child of nature. And as for Aring who brought you here, you have many reasons to be mad at him. But remember, he thought he did the right decision for you. Besides I allowed and encouraged him to bring you here. So Aring carries hardly any fault. If you wish you can talk with him later."

The noble beauty ended their talk with yet another smile "Now you should get off, Inuyasha. You are either heavier than you look or I am beginning to feel my old days." and following her unspoken order the vines released him. The hanyou lifted himself slowly up before making a dash to the middle of the room, where he turned and faced the noble. He took some further steps from the white throne her delicate form was sitting on and took a look around as noise reached his ears. The distant voices grew and a few seconds passed before another individual entered.

Grey eyes in a pale face looked under grey ruffled hair at the hanyou. "Inuyasha! I am glad to see you on your feet again. The trip was a little rough, please excuse that". The half-blood looked at the person and recognized him from before. "YOU! You were the one that took me on from behind, you coward! I saw you from the corner of my eyes so don't even think to deny! Why did you bring me here?" The tousled figure looked surprised and a little amused from him to the lady "Have you not told him as of yet?" to that the Diwata shook her head "No. I wanted to wait until you were here. Although I had hoped you wouldn't come looking so dishevelled." she scolded. To that the man gave a small sheepish smile. "Pardon milady, but on the entire trip I stood under attack." the man answered the lady and turned then to the hanyou "And as for you Inuyasha, I had no intention to fight or hurt you, that's why I chose the 'way of the cowards', as you put it. And as for why you are here, I think it would be best if we talked about that at a table with some tea and not in the hallway. Would that be agreeable to the two of you?" he asked fluidly. The lady gave her agreement and also Inuyasha muttered his acceptance. The man turned around led the way. The lady followed swiftly and the hanyou trailed closely behind.

Inuyasha's mind raced miles in the second. He was abducted by some weirdoes who were kinder to him than the people whose asses he saved day and night. He was someplace he didn't know and to top it all, he ACCEPTED it for some unknown reason! Why did everything feel alright if it clearly wasn't?! Maybe he should have accepted Kaede's offer for a check-up… As he pondered over his situation he took in the place he was in. It looked a lot like a traditional, but fashionable mansion he had visited to drive out the 'evil clouds', as the monk liked to state. But there were many differences. Firstly it was far bigger and far more decorated and colourful than normal. Everywhere he looked he saw playful-elegant banisters and double-doors. Beautiful paintings of scenery or animal life gave the long corridor a pleasing note. Thousands of little treasures twinkled out to him from everywhere. Even the high ceiling had its charm. It was carved like the blue ocean and in between the clashing waves he could make out precise details that amazed the hanyou. And light, everywhere was light, even as it seemed to come from nowhere. Inuyasha stopped his admiration as the trio left the corridor and entered a private dining room. This room also looked very elegant and the three took their seats at the already beautifully decorated round-table.

The lady took the cup in front of her and poured herself as she initiated another topic. "Do you know what you are? As in race?" the woman began. "I am a hanyou, a half-demon" Inuyasha answered puzzled. "That is correct but you are not half human." At that statement Inuyasha's eyes widened almost to the size of small plates. The lady gave a soft laughter to his reaction and continued. "Your mother Izayoi was my younger sister and as such she was a Diwata. That makes me your aunt, as far as the human terms go. We are an ancient race that bonds with nature and guards it with our powers. In return we can draw out its power and use it at our leisure. You can compare us to nature spirits although you will later recognize that in the end we have many differences to them." Inuyasha eyed the strange woman and asked uncertainly. "With 'Diwata' you mean the 'Nature Guardians' as humans call them, don't you?" "Yes, I certainly do." answered the older one simply.

Inuyasha shook his head as she took a sip from her cup (Aring had passed him his own cup and was currently busy filling the last one). "You are either nuts or got the wrong guy, lady. I do not have any power related to nature and my mother died very young. Not exactly like an 'ancient' being." Inuyasha stated. "Good argument nephew, but there was a reason for her early death. She was deathly sick due to a healing-session she did in the past. Back then she was young and very convinced of herself, so she did not hear the warnings and sadly ended up at a point with no return. And as for your powers, little one. I would be surprised if you had powers over nature without making a pact with it beforehand. While you stay here, you will learn everything about it." "Alright then, what about salt? Even with my sensitive senses I can eat it. I have eaten it millions of times." Inuyasha pointed out, convinced of this fact. To that Aring put his own cup down and answered "You _had been_ capable of eating salt. But not anymore, am I right? Only until the witch performed a summoning to which you got to close and which awakened your Diwata-blood. Shortly before you got here you had difficulties with your meals, correct? Anyhow, as a mixed-blood you probably have a far higher tolerance for that substance from the very beginning" The hanyou found himself unable to deny that fact. So he simply nodded.

"But why exactly am I here? If you wanted me here, you could have done so long ago! And don't come me with learning! You could have taught me probably anywhere. So answer me!" Inuyasha demanded. Shioshiso and Aring exchanged a glance and Shioshiso nodded. She turned her pink eyes to her 'captivate' "Sadly we couldn't come for you until the witch destroyed the barrier that had surrounded our ancestral home. We were trapped in our own world. Izayoi created this barrier shortly after she left to make certain we would not be harmed anymore. I also think she did this to make sure, that none of us would have to watch her wither away. Or maybe she wanted to make certain that she would not hesitate or return." the lady said with a sad, but sincere voice. She sighed softly and then refocused on the hanyou in front of her "And no, Inuyasha. We couldn't teach you anywhere because we need certain things for assistance. And back at your village, or next to your friends, teaching would be impossible. Because we consider your friends a 'threat' to you." To that the hanyou became still. He was shocked by her words. Then he exploded.

"They ain't a threat to me! All of them are probably the BEST that has ever happened to me. They are my PACK and I refuse to believe you if you tell such nonsense!" the hanyou shouted slamming his hands on the table knocking his cup off of it. "Nonsense Inuyasha? What about the punishments of your miko-friend? The 'sitting' as she calls it: Everywhere, anytime, in front of anyone and often for no real reason. What about the way you are treated by them? Ignored unless needed. Not understood but no one tries to understand you. Not being taken serious and being ridiculed but at the same time they expect you to be considerate of them and of other mortals that look down upon you. … What about your battles, Inuyasha? You take the front each and every confrontation but there is no gratitude. They have taken you for granted as time passed. …Many of their mistakes were made out of ignorance, or due to foolishness typically for youths so they can partly be forgiven but NOT entirely. If these reasons do not persuasive you … What about the matter of time Inuyasha? What do you think will happen in let's say fifty years from now?" the words from the Diwata-lady cut deep because he couldn't deny any of them and without realizing it his body slumped into the chair.

He could faintly notice that the grey figure had managed to smash his cup in his grip and grinded his needle-teeth in barely restrained anger. The lady continued unimpressed "In fifty years they will be old, maybe even dead. The kittling will go and train with other kitsune and his life will concentrate more and more about his own future. He will move on. The humans will pass away and you will be handed to the next generation of humans. A lone guardian, passed from one generation of mortals to the next. Do you now understand what we mean? And that is not all, since recently there is another factor you should be aware of." Shioshiso paused and took his limp hand into hers before she continued "Inuyasha, do you remember the day where you fought the witch Sheema and your half-brother? Not likely, because something happened and Aring here (she gestured to the man with the wide mouth, who still looked peeved) saved your sanity by modelling your memory. Aring, please give Inuyasha his memories back. Not all, there is no need for unnecessary pain." Inuyasha looked at his aunt with big golden orbs, not sure how he should react to the situation. Aring finally set the remains of his cup down, stood up and walked over to the tense inu-hanyou and bowed deep "Inuyasha may I return some of your memories? I will make certain that you won't suffer needlessly." the hanyou looked at man in front of him and his eyes hardened. "Start. Aring was your name correct? (the being confirmed with yet another small bow) If these are my memories I want them back." Aring came up from his bow and placed his index finger gently on the hanyou's temple and unlocked some picture-like memories of the boy.

For a moment the hanyou's face was calm, then it twisted in shock and disbelief. He opened his mouth and closed it again as no sound left his lips. "Wh-why did you … show me these … images." the lady pressed his hands more tightly and answered "You are pregnant, child, and he is the other parent." The hanyou's wide eyes bore into hers, where he searched for honesty – which he found. "That cannot be … I am male. For gods sake I am a fucking male … and how did you found out, that I … that I am …" the hanyou trailed his rambling off, unable to speak out loud of his condition. Afraid of the confirmation. "First of all, you have magic in your blood so it is not impossible. And as for the matter why we knew it, its because we are capable to see people's auras. You could call an aura a life stream which surrounds each living thing in this world. Each person has a unique aura that is a combination of the parents but it shows unique patterns typical for said person. If a person is with child she or he has another aura overlapping with his or her own. Like other auras overlie your own." The hanyou looked at her with lost eyes. One of his hands wandered limply to his stomach and rested there, while the other went to his neck. Massaging the hidden and incomplete mark. Only now, after he was confronted with his memory he could feel it faintly. It felt alien to be partly claimed, but at least he was still free. More or less. He closed his eyes in concentration and searched for something foreign inside his body. Something new and so very small. Something that would change the life he had lived so far so drastically if it existed. Then he felt it. There was something fickle and new in his body. A tiny something growing just below his heart. The hanyou groaned at the feeling and placed his head on the table while his now free claws dug deep into the noble surface of the table "What am I supposed to do? What the hell am I supposed to fucking do?! This is so messed up! I cannot have a child?! I am far too young and … urgh" Inuyasha breathed out and lifted his head from the table. For a moment the huge golden orbs brimmed with emotion. There were filled with confusion, then the emotions shifted to sadness, to anger, back to confusion and the feelings seemed to come to an halt at realization. Stunned the other two room-mates looked mesmerized at the open golden eyes. As the look of realization and something else was directed to them they prepared themselves for another fit, but to their surprise the hanyou was calm.

"Is this also a reason why you brought me here? Do you see this new life as a risk? Do you wish … to end its existence?" Inuyasha asked barely more than a whisper. The lady shook her head a little and answered "No. This new life is no danger and we have no intention to put out its future, unless YOU wish for it. The child was conceived as an accident, but it itself is no mistake." the lady said convinced. She leaned back and spoke "I have a proposal for you, nephew. I know you will keep the child; you are not the kind of person to kill something that has done nothing to deserve your wrath. You will stay with us until your babe is born and a while after that to regain your strength. During that time we will protect and support you wherever we can. After your initial stay, in let's say a year you can check upon your companions and decide which future you will take for yourself and your babe." she paused for a moment and then continued "Do you find this acceptable Inuyasha?" The hanyou looked at her and pondered her offer. He could return to his friends and hope for the best, he could turn to his brother and hope that the DaiYokai won't finish him off for having his kid and last but not least he could try something new. What did he have to lose? "I accept your terms, mylady." the half-inu said with a grin and then he turned his attention to Aring, who hasn't left his side since he came to him and looked at him intently. "Yeah?!"

"Inuyasha, I as a Familiar am a born servant and I would like to be in your service." the grey figure said with fire in his eyes. His grey eyes glowed with determination and hope. Inuyasha was taken aback once more. "Why would you want that? I mean, I got nothing to offer you – heck I don't even have a fucking home you could come to." the half-blood said with a hint of sadness. To that Aring laughed "That will be no problem. I once followed your mother, lady Izayoi, and back then she also stood on the swell of a new life. Beside I doubt lady Shioshiso will leave you without a roof for the months to come." "Of course not! In the beginning and shortly for and after the birth you could stay as a guest in our halls. Or at least in a place accurate for children. In the time in between you will get your own place."

"See! No problem." Aring concluded with a needle-fang-flashing smile. "Yeah, but I never had a servant or a guard for that matter. I do not feel comfortable with the thought of having someone like that around me." Inuyasha said honestly with a small blush on his cheeks. "You two will make a compromise" the Diwata-lady began catching the other two's attention "Aring will serve you for a month and then you will decide whether you accept him as your own Familiar or not." With that indirect order it was settled.

"Now we will-" Shioshiso said but was interrupted as the sounds of small footsteps reached the trio. The three turned as one to the door waiting for whoever came. The door swung open revealing a small maybe four-year-old child with bright pink eyes which scanned the room and landed on him. "FINALLY!" the girl squeaked and latched onto the half-blood's leg, which she refused to let go as the hanyou tugged on her robe. "Come on let go. My leg will get numb, brat." the hanyou said to which the girl giggled. "No! Me won't let go! Now me not alone!" the girl chirped happily. "What ya talking about?" the mixed-blood asked confused. To that Shioshiso laughed out loud "I forgot to tell you. This is my daughter Kotodoki, your cousin. She is the youngest and in fact the only child in our midst. With you here, there will be two children for our race." The lady eyed the duo standing before her with warm eyes; then she stood up and said solemnly "Well then, welcome to your new life, Inuyasha! Welcome in our Diwata-clan and welcome home!"

With that the lady gracefully left the room and a baffled hanyou, a small girl glued to said hanyou and an amused (yet grateful) Familiar.

**- tbc -**

Shioshiso (= tidal body of thought) was a rather difficult character for me. I wanted to create a kind but capable leader opposite of Sesshomaru, but she turned out like this. Personally I like her indirect orders a lot. She is someone who cares deeply for family as well as for politics.


	10. Chapter 10

In this chapter one of your requests will come true. And a big thank you to 'Elspeth', I didn't know I had made such a grave mistake. I will correct it ASAP. And as for my other reviewers, thank you so much for your support. It is great to write for you guys!

**Chapter 10: New Beginnings are always Difficult**

Inuyasha was lying motionless on his bed in his given quarters. The first three weeks have passed so fast since he arrived in the Diwata-community that his head had started to spin as he thought about it. He groaned in exhaustion at the sheer amount of changes. It was difficult to imagine that a few weeks ago he had to sleep on tree branches or that he only owned what he wore on his person. It was also unfamiliar that he felt so relaxed. So safe.

He was _unable_ to return to his friends for the moment, but the half-inu had started to accept that fact. At least he was not throwing fits like in the beginning. He missed his friends. Badly. But without the right 'key' the inu-hanyou was unable to pass the magical stone-gate. At least he was promised by Shioshiso that he could return at a later time. That reassured him, if there was one thing certain, it was a Diwata's promise. Apart from his missing friends Inuyasha was happy with his current situation and he knew that his co-hunters were not endangered by Naraku or anyone else. His new life was awesome and just this one time he wanted to be selfish. The hanyou grinned and recalled fondly his upside down turned new life.

After he was left with his new temporary servant/guard (?) and a little wacko glued to his leg the hanyou was piloted out of the room and into his new quarters by his eager servant. The hanyou's body felt numb and heavy with the newfound burden. Back then he was not even certain exactly what dragged him down, it could have been the small child, his exhaustion, the news of his condition or all together. He hardly registered as he was led into his room and to some soft surface as he slumped into the layers of his bed. The little girl practically purred next to him for some unknown reason. His head felt like it was stuck beneath the water. He hardly heard anything and registered even less. After a few seconds of incoherent thoughts and rumbling he was dead to the world. The little girl seemed to agree with him and fell asleep next to him and was returned later to her room by her amused mother.

As the next morning came Inuyasha finally got to take a glance at his room. It was a big and bright room with a light green carpet which seemed to be made of some sort of fur, which puzzled the young male. The bed consisted of various layers of mattresses and was about twice as high as the beds he knew from Kagome's home and far wider and a lot more comfortable than those. It was dark green like moss and the hanyou loved it. The entire stay would be worth if he could keep the soft furniture. The cupboards, wardrobe, working desk and the huge mirror in the corner were also lightly green and had an elegant edge to them. The sharp eyes of the mixed-blood could make out elegant hawk-carvings in some objects. The silver-haired male raised surprised an eyebrow, he had expected many things, including sleeping in stables or the most wretched guest room currently available, but he never imagined his new quarter to look this … noble. Still caught in his stupor he missed as Aring knocked and entered with a tray of food in his arms. He bowed politely and advanced to the bed. He put the tray on the hanyou's lap, catching the attention of the dazed youngster. "Good morning master. I see you are already inspecting your quarters, that is a lovely idea but you should wait a little. Firstly you should eat something and by the time you have finished we can discuss today's schedule and whatever you think you wish to know. I also have taken the liberty to arrange some new robes for you. Please try them on once they arrive. This should last at least until we have measured you. …What is wrong master?" the Familiar asked as he saw the incredulous expression on the young face.

The hanyou forced a smile to his lips and waved him off nonchalantly with the words that he had just been surprised but grateful for his thoughtfulness, but on the inside his blood was singing. The last time he had breakfast in bed was when his mother was still alive and if his memory did not betray him he was never measured. Never. He was so used to the baggy fire-rat robe that the thought of new clothes seemed like a dream. Besides having someone serve him was a little embarrassing and also surreal for the penniless man. He eyed the neat breakfast and helped himself after he had offered Aring something, who declined politely but determined. As the mixed-blood ate, the Familiar busied himself with the room until there was a knock on the door and a tall Diwata-male entered bringing the robes mentioned before. He exited quickly with a wave of his hand to Inuyasha and the words that they should definitely stop later at his place. The hanyou finished promptly and put the tray to the side to inspect the garments. While he tried them all on, Aring told him a little about the society and the nature of Diwatas.

Apparently Diwata aged normally like humans until they made a contract with nature, which allowed them to look as old as they wished and it also allowed them to be a child for as long as they wanted. It had confused him before when Shioshiso mentioned that with him there would be two children. But apparently a Diwata was only considered an adult when he or she bonded completely with nature and the concerned Diwata had to pass a few trials before he was even allowed to bond. The society was pretty similar to the demonic one and at the same time it contrasted sharply with it. In the Diwata as well as in the demonic society males and females were on equal footing unlike humans. In both races people were very close to their partners and children and the more powerful a Diwata or Demon was, the calmer and gentler he became. It was a balance that was often found in the world, the more powerful something was the more it liked to evade trouble of any kind. It amused the hanyou that his own half-brother was normally under the same unwritten rule of nature - at least until his temper flared. What was different were obviously the presence of the nature-linked Familiars, secondly the handling with power and the view on workmanship and last but not least the politics. Unlike demons Diwata did not reject to the idea of power shifting, in fact it was considered an honour to 'raise' the next head. Inuyasha learned that Shioshiso herself was instructed by the former head. He was apparently his great-, great-, great- and great-grandfather on his mother side, looked hardly older than early (human) thirties and went by the name of Okan.

After his first 'wardrobe-lesson' he had five new outfits that were of the typical cut worn by Diwatas. Arms and legs were covered pretty loosely and the hem tended to float around the body. What seemed too wide at the limbs was corrected at the torso where the fabrics clung desperately to the skin and emphasized the persons build. The picture was finished with a sash, getas and jewellery of choice. Inuyasha argued about half an hour before he submitted to the getas and a black bracelet with shining golden gems. 'Topaz' Aring called the shining gems he got for the hanyou and they fitted his sash nicely and made a nice contrast to the dark blue robe. After the 'dresscode-fight' the hanyou was led to the throne-room where lady Shioshiso awaited them with a little hyperactive girl next to her.

Inuyasha remembered fondly that first day and especially that moment. As he came closer the lady rose from her seat and advanced to him. She placed her elegant fingers around the beads and said friendly "Good morning, Nephew. You remembered our conversation yesterday, don't you?" The inu-hanyou nodded to the question. "Then you know what will happen now" the short-haired beauty said. The grip around the cursed necklace tightened and Inuyasha felt something leaving the woman in front of him as it was forced into the beads. The cursed item glowed in a sickly yellow while the beads gave crunching sounds from them, until they were pulverized by the force of the sheer pressure. With wide eyes Inuyasha's gaze followed the falling pieces with a fluttering heart. Shioshiso pronounced what he felt "You are free, nephew. You are no longer anyone's toy, pet or tool for frustrations. But I have to warn you Inuyasha. The next one that dares to put something that vile on you will not live to tell the tale. If you see your friends in the future make sure they understand this part." her eyes shone with promise.

After a while her eyes softened as she continued "And now let us talk about something that should be of interest to you. As you are with child we have to specify your schedule. As you are a warrior I do not wish to take the option of fighting lessons from you, but we should put these lessons to the first phase of your pregnancy until the major part becomes too dangerous for you and your babes. Firstly for you are a prince I would like you to learn to handle politics, customs and to lead the people around you. Furthermore I wish to teach you how to deal with each kind of person, no matter what status or personality they have. And for yourself I want you to have a vast amount of knowledge and to be independent. I am convinced it will help you greatly in the coming years. Besides a wise man gains respect and for all your experiences I want you to be able to clearly announce your own opinion and to show your intelligence. The last important issue is the nature bonding. _Our_ source of power. Starting with it right now I cannot and will not allow you. Beforehand you begin you have to pass three tests like most of the Diwata. The tests relate to wisdom, maturity and comprehension of nature. If you pass all three tests you have my blessings to undergo the bonding - but do not try to bond on your own! Bonding can be dangerous and the tests show if you are ready to face nature itself. Never get cocky, Inuyasha! There is nothing more fearful than vengeful nature." She paused after that statement. When she continued her gaze was on her daughter "Normally all Diwata have to pass these tests, only certain exceptions can forgo this tradition like my daughter had to. Back then she had been very sick and to increase her stamina we allowed her to forgo one of the tests. But still it had been a close call; both the sickness and the tests had drained her almost to death. So please do not ask me to hasten your schedule." Inuyasha had listened intently the entire time. The female had been explicit but the plea had been a personal request not an order. The hanyou wondered if the mother still feared for her little girl.

Shioshiso took a step forward and gestured for the other two to follow her when she spoke "Now let us go! Today we will show you around and introduce you to various persons who will take a major part in your new life and schedule."

The inu was dazed, when her entire speech finally settled in his mind. Her ideas of his 'schedule' filled his being with growing horror but also curiosity. As the lady turned around and went ahead his body followed before he realized it. His thoughts ran free. Could he really become what she had in mind? Inuyasha hoped so and kept his mouth shut as he tried to imagine how long it would take him to be ready to pass the three tests. Maturity, wisdom and comprehension of nature … the hanyou suppressed a laugh. It would take him another hundred years to gain maturity and another millennia until people would describe him as wise. But who knows, maybe it would be fun and besides, time was a luxury he no longer had. His hands went to his belly. Next year at this time he would have a family. His own little family. Complete with elders, aunts and cousins. Some new neighbours would also be in the mix. He could not wait for the future and at the same time he dreaded that he would not be ready when the time came. But at least he was not on his own. Not anymore.

Inuyasha rolled over on his bed. The tour that followed Shioshiso's speech went almost all over the city KagayakuNiwa. A lot of people were interested in meeting him and the inu spent a lot of time with handshaking, small bantering and greetings. At first it was a little awkward but it changed after a while as he could accept that these beings really held no objections to him. On the tour he learned very fast that the Familiars looked a lot like the element or the plant which they represented. The half-blood had to practically grovel on his feet after he had stepped by accident on a root-foot of a flower-like Familiar. The master of said flower just laughed and helped him to calm the bristled plant down. Later he introduced himself as Sainoarashi and it turned out that he was one of Inuyasha's new teachers. The intense green-eyed Diwata with the round face joined him on his tour and gave some (partly dubious) references to each place and person. He reminded Inuyasha a little of Miroku aside from the fact that he never groped or proposed any female close to him. Later that day (or more in the evening) he was led into an arena where a tall male Diwata with silver eyes, aristocratic sharp features and the typical midnight-black hair introduced himself as Okan. That Diwata was his ancestor as well as the current weapon master. The silver-eyed man also belonged to the circle of teachers and would take care of his physical training. Inuyasha found him both intimidating but also intriguing. He couldn't help but shiver in anticipation. Finally he had his own weapon-master, like Sesshomaru always had! Another addition to his list of teachers was Shioshiso who insisted on showing him some understanding of politics and the quality of leadership. To his surprise (and amusement) even Tokidoki insisted on teaching him. She wanted to teach him various customs - at least those she understood herself. The mother of the child whispered later to Inuyasha to repeat her everything that the little girl would tell him, probably to make sure she didn't taught him the wrong things.

That was the first day and it was tiring in the least - but it was nothing compared to what awaited the hanyou the following days and weeks. Without even his notice the hanyou fell into a routine. In the morning he would wake up with Aring whirring by his side, who would tell him various amusing or important things while he helped him to get ready for the day. Sometimes he would eat in the great dining hall as many Diwatas preferred to share their time and meals. After his breakfast he was brought to Shioshiso who held court and before forming her judgement she would question him or order him to put himself in the concerned person's position. If she did not held court they drank tea, which she used to test him through arguments. In these arguments one of them proposed a topic and the other had to crumble the others conviction and argument. Each and every time he felt drained after these encounters as if he was squeezed through a meat grinder.

After his morals, his way of speaking and his view of the world received harsh blows by the lady, were his remains dragged to Sainoarashi. Saino was always greatly amused by his condition when he arrived. The poison-green-eyed male looked and acted even more immature than Inuyasha, but the hanyou had come to reluctantly accept the fact that the 'big-baby' had earned his title as sage rightfully. He had a huge library and was often found somewhere in its depths. The childish book-worm had taken a liking to create unique illusions or dreams to underline the current lessons and his descriptions were always precise and interesting. Some topics tended to be hilarious, if he thought them as worthless or amusing, like he did with the thought of superiority of the demon or human race. He once stated "If both races were perfect than you as a mixed-blood would be god. In fact these 'perfect' races are pretty blind as they have yet to realize that WE keep them alive. If we would slack with our duties the 'perfect beings' would wither like flowers. By the way did you know …" and then he rambled on. Saino had the habit of sometimes switching topics at an alarming speed and sometimes it was difficult to follow his trail of thought, but the lessons were always refreshing. Inuyasha wondered if that was the reason why he always got the middle lessons. Sometimes Kotodoki would join him in his classes and he was surprised and impressed by her mature side that shimmered about once a day through. After Saino's teachings he had some free time for himself until sunset. In that time he entertained himself with various fellow Diwata and Familiars, he visited certain 'hot-spots' that everyone knew and enjoyed or he went to the great hall where he and his new 'big family' (including Aring, many friends, some neighbours and those that were bored) sat comfortably and played games or just enjoyed each others company.

After his break - with the downfall of the sun - the hanyou went to the trainings-ground which was lit with torches. Okan always stood in the centre of the arena waiting for him. Apart from being a show-off, Inuyasha was more than impressed with his weapon-master. He was strong and proud and even before they clashed swords, the mixed-blood could tell that silver-eyed man was a force to be reckoned with. He was right. After a few hours the hanyou was covered in multi-coloured bruises but he was content. The older man was a great teacher. He was impatient yes, but he was also precise and knew how to train someone. At the end of each day the half-blood had a new set of bruises and cuts to show off, which would heal over night and return with the coming sunset. Another lesson Inuyasha learned within minutes was that cursing in the Diwata's presence would lead to multiple bruises or a painful jab to his head. The Diwata had even once threatened to throw him over his lap if he insisted to pollute the air, the indirect promise made the youngster immediately shut his mouth. He had no doubt that he would stick to his word. Just like Shioshiso, Okan was a man that did not make empty promises and he would be damned if he let himself be treated like some naughty pup. At the end of each training session the hanyou took a bath and headed then to bed. Sometimes there were some assignments for him left or Saino would invade the bathroom to join him. But still, everything had become a routine.

Even Kotodoki's lesson had become 'normal' to Inuyasha. Since the first day, the little girl was often found somewhere next to him and whenever they got in certain situations Kotodoki would spring an instant lesson at him. Thankfully everyone that also got caught in those lessons would help him as well.

With heavy eyes the hanyou fell asleep, dreaming of the many changes, his new classes, the people, the future and his friends that somehow found their way into the big dream-picture.

- In the western land -

Three long weeks had passed since the kidnapping. Three long weeks with no improvement whatsoever. After the strangely half-dead and yet half-alive tree swallowed their friends the group had started to question the people of the city and in the temple. None of the questioned knew exactly what that fog was, but in some old scrolls found in the temple, it was stated that the tree was once used as a gateway by 'holy beings'. But that was all. The hunters were irritated, worried and frustrated. But that was nothing compared to Sesshomaru. His blood was boiling in his veins. Somebody had stolen from him. Had attacked him. And had gotten away! With his family-member no less. His prey! Never before had somebody dared to openly mock him this way, or to steal from him for that matter. Without the medal he had no proof against the panther demons, which meant his investigations came to an halt. Without the little pest his ward was crying her eyes out (rather loudly) and without the other bigger pest these humans refused to leave his side while he investigated. That flee-ridden wolf had caught up with the rag-tag group and insisted on contaminating his air. He felt like howling!

The lord had searched everywhere - his archives, the heads of his council, had questioned his consultants and his few allies. He once again checked almost every record which occupied itself with races, legends, 'holy beings', mysteries and enchanted jewellery. But no matter where or how long he buried himself in work, he found no information that could help him out. The humans themselves started to give up. With each day they became more restless, more exhausted and more hopeless. They started to doubt that their friend would ever come back. They even started to doubt that he was still alive (except for the monk). The demon-lord knew better - he knew the half-breed was alive. That little weed wouldn't go down that easily. He could attest to that. But the more the humans refrained from the search the slower they advanced in it. Without the humans he couldn't get information out of the humans living nearby and without the dirty door-mat he couldn't get his hands on the legends of the 'primal demons' led by that door-mat-prince. Furthermore fate had it that each day new problems were added to their search. The monk and the female hunter's whelps got sick and needed care. The useless priestess had every second day some test or assignment. The wolf-cub returned from time to time to his dens and father to navigate his people through some border-business. And in his own rows of followers there were many new recruits that started to wear down his patience as well as his 'young' palace. It was as if fate didn't want them to find the way through the sacred tree.

In fact he also started to think of stopping the search entirely. Even with the medal it would have been a nuisance to put it lightly. But now after such a long time, hardly anyone would acknowledge the medal as proof. Maybe, … maybe it would indeed be the best if he started to search somewhere else. This search has brought no results and the inu-lord started to doubt it ever would. With a deep sigh the lord turned from the surrounding humans and returned home. He had a charge, subordinates, his lands and many responsibilities. He couldn't afford to waste even more of his precious time. 'The past lies behind and the future has to be focused on' and with that thought in mind he left. He would never really give up that was against his nature, but the search would no longer take the frontline of his thought.

**- tbc -**

Okan (=king crown) and Sainoarashi (=talent storm) are the only new characters on the Diwata-side which will play a higher role beside the aunt and cousin. Okan will stay more in the background while Saino will probably visit the chapters more often.

Oh yeah, just for your information the bed is not a figure of fiction. They do exist but only few people in this world can afford such luxury.

The city name KagayakuNiwa (=radiant garden) came from the game Kingdom Hearts. I love the cities name and decided back then to someday take it over in on of my stories. And with the Diwata it fitted perfectly. As for the Diwata it was pretty difficult to get information about them, but I guess I found out pretty much. If any of you find something else about that race make sure to contact me and for the rest of you, **Please Review**! Especially if you have an idea to the number and gender of Inuyasha's child(ren). I currently variant between one and three pups with at least one female.


	11. Chapter 11

I have decided to share some of my knowledge about the Diwata race with you before the actual chapter. If you are curious read on, if not go further down to the new chapter:

The Diwata-race is an ancient race and besides being very beautiful they are also known for being very prideful and secretive. They were valued for their intelligence as well as for their power, that's why even kings went to their knees and honoured the race (no joke, it was really stated in a legend!). Normally the race is fair, unless they themselves get involved, then they take their own side. They enjoy each other's company the most and are very protective of each other. There was an old story in which a Diwata was attacked by human-bandits. The other present Diwata killed the humans immediately and cursed all those, who were indirectly taking part in the crime. In fact the European race of myth that comes closest to the Diwata of Japan are our elves.

**Chapter 11: Bonds**

More than half a year had passed since he was kidnapped into his new life. Seven and a half month had gone by since he had been with child. And it has been seven month since he had last seen his friends. He missed them. All of them. Even if some memories were not as great as others. Inuyasha had started to wonder if they had changed and continued with their life, as for had. The half-blood himself had changed greatly. The hanyou had matured in many ways and he had made enormous progress. Not only had his body filled out quite nicely (not only due to the pups), but his academics, as well as his own old self had experienced a complete alteration. He had even leaned some manners - granted he only used them if they were needed. Now it was doubtful that he would ever again enjoy his meal while sitting on some dead guy's shinbone or skull. The memory of that meal made the hanyou lightly shiver with disgust.

A small movement next to him chased him out of his day-dream. In a few hours he would bond with nature. Finally he would take that step. As he stood in front of his mirror and smoothed out his dark-green robe his thoughts went through every test he had mastered up till now. Each test was unique and each person, including him, that were confronted with them had matured greatly. By force yes, but only the result counts in this matter.

The test of 'understanding of nature' had been confusing as all hell. He was brought to the sacred tree of KagayakuNiwa, where he had to sleep for a night. It sounded ridiculous easy. It was - at least until he fell asleep on the roots of the 'sacred trees'. Then came the dreams. He was a drop of rain in the storm clashing onto the ground where he was greedily absorbed by grass. Then he had been in multiple plants and had FELT them grow and change. Had FELT them being used, consumed and trampled down. Later he had been a crow, then an eel in a pond and then a deer hunted by many. He had gone through so many lives, forms and consciousnesses that after the night (which felt as long as his entire life!) he had to rest for three days, because his mind had been confused which existence it currently led. In fact even now he had no idea how he came from the tree to his home, or how he had managed to pass that fucking test! But apparently his symptoms were normal. Inuyasha wondered absentminded in what kind of state the Diwata were, that did not pass the test. The hanyou shuddered. Maybe there were still thinking they were bugs hopping over the stick and stone.

The second test was even worse. It was plain insane. For the 'test of maturity' he was brought in the midst of the ten oldest Diwata. There he was trapped in a sort of illusion where he had to live three different lifes. It was a kind of role play. In each life he had been a man/woman of power and he had difficulties with multiple problems. He was once a demon and twice a human. The worst life was that of a noble human man. In that dream-life he was married to a wench far worse then Kagome, Kagura and Kikyou together could ever hope to be, was stuck with a dozen kids like Shippo and he was forced to trust a perverted councilman (the hanyou felt sick as he remembered him). With that kind of family it was a miracle he was still able to ward off a civil war! After these horrible existences he had learnt to be truly grateful for his messed up life. At least he was able to speak his mind without the fear of being drowned by his husband! After the test he was congratulated by the elders and invited to a feast. This test was very difficult and the hanyou found out that many had needed a second try to pass this test. The half-blood was overjoyed that he had not to go through that ordeal a second time. Once more and the inu would have probably gone mad.

When he was told what the third test ('wisdom') was about. He could have wept for happiness. No insane family (at least not more insane than his own), no 'talking plantst', like in his first dream-test, no plots for the crown, no madness whatsoever! Just a 'simple quiz' - consisting of about two hundred questions, various arguments and personal questions. Inuyasha had no idea why Kagome had always groaned at the prospect of tests; she never had such as him! For the life of him, he could not imagine that there should be tests worse than the first two. With tests like these it was no surprise that some Diwata like Sainoarashi were a little strange or close to mad!

The mixed-blood groaned at the memory. It had been hard work to get to this point. Very hard. FUCKING HARD! Today he would finally bond with nature. Like the other Diwata had done. He still could not believe that he had really passed the tests. A few months ago he had thought the idea of passing the tests on time impossible. But he had made it. 'And not too late' the hanyou thought as he rubbed his swollen belly. Only three more months and he would be due. Then a little over a year would have gone by since the conception of his pups. They had started to move quite a while ago. Thanks to his training he could touch the pups aura to determine their condition and mood. It was a very handy ability. But even that ability did not help after the first two tests. Back then his children had trashed inside of him and kicked whatever organ they could reach within him. Apparently they had detested the tests as much as he did himself.

With the progress of his pregnancy things had changed. Just as promised the hanyou was granted his own little haven. Aring and Shioshiso had outdone themselves. His own house was as big as a small mansion and Aring, HIS familiar had made sure that there was a huge and beautiful indoor-garden. He even went as far as to get a seedling of a sacred tree for his garden! That had touched the hanyou. But it was not the first time the Familiars thoughtfulness had moved the inu's heart. The entire building was a testament to the Fog-Spirits dedication. The mansion itself was beautiful and located pretty close to the central of the city, where he had his first test. The entire building was covered in earth-colours and each of the rooms had a certain theme. Some of the rooms looked like artificial gardens; other gave off a feeling of safety that came with light-flooded forests. One of his favourite rooms was already decked out for the puppies. The room felt almost like a light-coloured cave on some mountain-top. Inyuasha simply loved his place. His little paradise had a lot of space and it was needed, as he had almost always company.

The hanyou kept his eyes on the mirror and was grateful that the tailors had whipped up such great clothes for him. The robes still flattered his muscles but now they covered up his extending belly with multiple layers of fabrics and shades of colours. He did not show that much, but it was noticeable if one searched. And many had come to him since his pregnancy had started to show. Many had brought him various self-made toys for his kids, others wanted to share their (partly lacking) knowledge with him, and others like Sainoarashi just offered themselves in advance as baby-sitters for the little 'ankle-biters', as he called them endearingly. Inuyasha lowered his gaze from the mirror to Kotodoki, who posed beside him and admired herself in the mirror. The hanyou smirked at the picture the girl made. She had come to assist him for the 'bonding' but had lost herself in her reflection. The half-blood ushered the little girl away and led her through his home. His house was fucking huge, with many corridors and rooms. But for all the space he had, if the others insisted on bombarding him with gifts, he would have no choice but to build on. Luckily he could count on Aring. The Familiar had become his retainer. Not like Myoga, who was never there, but someone he could trust and count on. The Familiar himself was also no longer alone. He had managed to get his own family. His new pregnant mate Fuuka had become a part of his growing household. It was always lively and the hanyou would not have it any other way. Inuyasha compared Fuuka with the sister he never had and was always a little protective of her. Not that she was really in need of protection, but it was nice to care for someone.

As he exited his little mansion he was expected. Shioshiso stood there watching the stars, waiting for him. "Good evening, Shioshiso. It is unexpected to see you. I thought you would already be asleep after today's schedule. But it is indeed a pleasing surprise." The older female looked at the hanyou with her usual, charming smile "Sleep has done what it usually does, evade me. I cannot find rest, so I decided to accompany you to the 'White Room'. Your original guide has taken his earned free time. Shall we go?" the Diwata asked offering him her delicate arm. The hanyou grinned and took it. With two lovely ladies at each arm the nervous hanyou made his way to the centre of the city. To the sacred tree on the hill. But this time the mixed-blood ignored the tree and dedicated his attention to the feet of the silent giant. The door in the ground was old, worn and plain. It was also covered with some roots and foliage. Up till now, the hanyou had always ignored the shabby door - as he could not open it – but not anymore. He stepped to the door and Kotodoki instructed him to place both his hands on the door. The mixed-blood did and felt something ran through his body. Searching carefully for something he had no knowledge of, until the feeling disappeared and the door swung silently open. The hanyou stopped breathing at the sight. Now he knew why it was called the White Room. Everything was white and endless! His eyes searched the room for something – anything, but to no avail. The room was empty. Inuyasha was confused. He had expected many things but not … well nothing!

Shioshiso and her daughter let go of his hand. The females went further into the room. The hanyou's eyes followed them and as he lowered his gaze, he gasped in disbelief. Each step they took, nature seemed to sprout from it and from there it spread in all direction. The plants grew at an alarming speed. Within moments the front of the white room was covered by a beautiful forest like scenery. But it was not real. Inuyasha could not smell these plants and his sharp eyes made out the slight difference from normal, real plants and their counterparts. These 'plants' looked brighter and although he could not feel their aura, they still looked strangely alive. It was puzzling. "Keep standing nephew and morning will come. Do not worry, step forward and let us begin! And you Koto, stand back and be silent! I want no disturbance." Lady Shioshiso ordered. The hanyou stepped eagerly forward, whereas the girl took a few steps behind. His eyes stared curiously at his feet as he waited, and waited and waited. Nothing. Nothing at all. His eyes widened in shock – forget the flowers and the weed, where was his fucking shadow?! The mixed-blood spun around searching for his shadow, as he heard the two ladies laugh. "Lemme guess, you do not have a shadow in here?" the hanyou questioned, feeling a little ridiculous for searching for his shadow. The hanyou straightened up and turned to the giggling females. "Indeed, little one. This place is not real, at least not like everything you have seen up to this very moment. That is why there is no shadow, no proof of existence. Think of it as a dream of nature. Right now, for as long as we are here, we do not really exist, as we are part of nature. Do you understand to what I am hinting?" Shioshiso asked with a whisper and a gleam in her beautiful pink eyes. The hanyou thought about the question and nodded slowly "I thing I do. This place is another dimension, but unlike my friend's world, KagayakuNiwa or the world I lived in for so long. But I do have a question. If all this is a dream, where is the dreamer? Shouldn't he or she be around here somewhere?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow and his eyes scanned the area once more. The Diwata-lady shook her head "Look at our feet, Inuyasha. The 'dreamer' only shows her presence through us, as we have already bonded with it. This place is vacant, there is nothing. Beside us, that is." the Diwata gestured for the hanyou to come closer. Inuyasha followed her gesture and came to her side. "For the present we should focus on the task at hand. You came here to learn about your power. The seals on the door found you worthy just like your judges did. You have my blessings and it will be my honour to help you with your initial bond. After the very first bond you should be able to freely bind all kinds of plants to your soul. Do you already know what kind of plant you wish to be your initial partner?" Shioshiso asked.

The hanyou smiled. He already knew what kind of plant he wanted to start with. There was only one kind of plant that he could think of "Yeah, I have decided. My initial plants will be the sacred trees." Shioshiso's smile widened. She did not have to ask to know what his answer would be. After so many months, she knew her nephew quite well. But it comforted her to be confirmed. For forms sake she asked the hanyou if he was certain, which he confirmed immediately. The lady cupped with her small hands on the young man's cheeks and brought his face to hers. Their foreheads touched and the woman whispered "Think of the tree, imagine it. Everything of it, from the myriad of roots to the large leafs in the crown. The pact with it will be made by the tree itself. So focus on it …" Shioshiso's monologue continued and lulled the hanyou to a form of trance. His eyes fluttered and were half lidded. The Diwata-head kept speaking while she eyed the half-blood. Up till now it worked just fine, only a little longer. A few more moments and he would make contact with the spirit of nature. Suddenly the hanyou's body went rigid, and then calmed down. His eyes shone in a golden light and a melodious tune escaped his slightly parted lips. Afterwards he became eerily silent. Even his chest hardly moved. The rose and fell had almost completely stopped. The lady released the man's head and took the place beside her daughter. They waited for the youngster's consciousness to return. After a short moment Kotodoki broke the silence "When Inuyasha doesn't rant he's not himself. It's boring, mother! And seeing him this still is, well … creepy. How much longer?!" Kotodoki whined. The lady gave a deep unladylike sigh. The next hours would be a pain in the neck.

A few hours later the hanyou was back. He was starved and exhausted, but kept grinning like a madman. Shioshiso held her sleeping daughter and congratulated him. After some formal small talk, the lady sent him home. Too tired to argue about the treatment the half-blood bend to her will. As he was on his way to return he was stopped by a voice "Normally I should congratulate you on your first bond, but to be honest with you - You look dreadful, Inuyasha! Seriously, if you had waited any longer, the bonding would have been postponed." Inuyasha looked up and his eyes locked with Sainoarashi's striking green ones. The book-obsessed Diwata sat smugly on a high wall, while he lazily leafed through yet another book. The hanyou groaned. "Not now, Saino. I have no energy for your antics. Lemme some time for myself." the hanyou muttered darkly before he went on. After a few steps he got company. The hanyou ignored his new shadow stubbornly. "No matter how long you pretend I am not here, if I have to, I will even follow you over your doorstep."

The mixed-blood groaned annoyed. "What for heavens sake do I have to do, to get rid of you?!" The dark-haired male grinned at his outburst. "Follow me. I've got something that should interest ya!" with that the bibliophile grabbed the exhausted other's arm and started dragging him in the opposite direction.

As it turned out Sainoarashi was right. He did indeed not regret the little excursion. He had been introduced to a quiet young Diwata that often hung out with Saino and sometimes with the mixed-blood. Inuyasha's friend had taken the liberty to arrange his new territory, by making a deal with his friend. He was the former guardian of the area in which the village and his forest were located in and somehow Saino had managed a sort of trade. Now the map of the region as well as the matching 'mirror key' were his. In countermove for helping both males with the library he had now become the guardian of his old home. The hanyou smiled tiredly but genuine. "Hey puppy, don't you fall asleep while walking! The night is far from over!" was screamed into his ears. The hanyou yelled in shock and took some distance to Saino.

"What was that for?" Inuyasha whined while stroking his abused ear. "To make certain you stayed awake. What else? Now come!" once more the hanyou was pulled somewhere he had no idea of. But after the sweet deal nothing could ruin his mood, no matter how loud or annoying it was!

After yet another small trip they stood in front of a gigantic boulder. The pitch-black stone was carved beautifully with thousands of flowers and insects. It was the stone-gate the Diwata used to travel from their home to his old world. He had been unable to pass up till now. Even after many tries he had never made it to the other side. For gods sake, he hadn't even figured out how they passed! The only thing he found out was that the keys were used for navigating. Beside that the hanyou had no clue about the boulder. "Why are we here? You know Shioshiso had forbidden for ANY Diwata to help me get to other side. What do you plan, Saino?" Inuyasha asked. He could not keep the hopeful tone out of his question. "You already guessed it correctly. For forging your first bond I decided to give you a special gift. I will accompany you to the other side and once there I will guard you until we return. Do not misunderstand, we WILL return. No matter what! Tonight Shio as well as the old Okan are oblivious to our existence. But if any of them find out what we are going to do, we are in some serious trouble! That is why we can only go for a single night and to make sure you are later not tempted to go through on your own; I will not reveal the way to open the gate to you." Sainoarashi smirked at the slight pout on the younger man's face. "Sorry little one, but at least you have this night to check out your friends and your village. So do you want to make this little trip with me? Remember, you will not utter a single word to anyone! Not even Aring!" The green eyes glinted in the darkness and gave the hanyou for a moment the chills. He shook his head and agreed. The next moment the Diwata's arm was linked with Inuyasha's. When he wanted to protest he felt as if he was hit by a wave of heat and a strange pull. It did not burn but it was definitely not a pleasing way of transport. In shock he closed his eyes and when he opened them again-

"Why are we on Goshinboku? How did we get here so fast?" the hanyou was stunned. They stood on top of the sacred trees roots right next to the broad stem. In a mere second they had travelled through a dimension and probably over thousands of miles. "Hey don't complain, at least we did not have to walk. Let's go! It's my first time in this realm in more than two hundred years! So guide me around!" the Diwata ordered excitedly. The hanyou herded his friend to the edge of the village and told him some old stories of him and some of the villagers. As they approached the border of the village they went into the shadows. It felt wrong to hide in ones own village and from his friends, but Inuyasha knew that he would not be able to leave if he got to close to any of his friends. They approached the hut and immediately the acoustic level swelled like it used to. The mixed-blood could hear Kagome, so she probably had returned for a visit or maybe to be with the mangy wolf. Inuyasha hardly minded. She sounded happy and so did everyone else and that is all that counts. Inuyasha went to the back of the hut and slid down on the wall. He closed his eyes and revelled in the sounds of their voices, jokes and laughter. It felt so familiar and so precious. Absentminded he felt Saino taking a spot next to him and relaxed further. For one night he could get lost in his memories and for that he was grateful.

**- tbc -**

Another chapter finished. It took quite some time to imagine a way for the Diwata to bond and how they could pass through the barrier between the worlds (more details later). Sorry if it took a little longer than expected. Make sure to leave a comment, especially to the number and gender to Inu's pups. Up till now I have only received two votes!


	12. Chapter 12

Welcome back. It is great that you keep writing and encouraging me. I am pretty proud to have so many people enjoy my piece of work. Have a lot of fun with this chapter!

For the pups the most votes went to three-pups-option. It was a close call, but to not displease anyone I decided to give them some traits that were wished for.

I was also informed by an anonymous guest that there are also Diwata-legends from Philippine myths. If any of you know something about those I would be happy to be informed about them.

Now to the actual chapter. The birthing process is inspired by 'aji7sunhawk' who allowed me to take it into my own story. So be aware, there will be blood!

**Chapter 12: Additions to the Family**

Two weeks. For the last two weeks the hanyou had been confined to his own mansion. The disturbing thing was that he was not kept there by chains, guards or something reasonable like that. No, Inuyasha stayed indoors by his own free will. He was too anxious to leave the house and to get caught in one certain situation.

It had all started harmlessly. About two weeks ago he had in his nervousness engaged Shioshiso in a serious conversation about his nearing birthing date. In only a few weeks the hanyou would be due and he wanted not to take any chances. As he confronted the Diwata with the birthing process she explained (once more) that as a male his body could not emit the new life by itself. That he would have to cut himself open and to free his babes with his own two hands and claws. In the beginning the idea of having another claw in his abdomen had shocked him, but the older female dispersed his worries. She told him that his body would go partly numb and that only he himself could feel when the puppies were ready. Furthermore she pointed out that his instinct would guide and protect him during the process. Yet his instincts had a reverse, so they were the main reason why no one could really help him while he freed his babes from his belly. It simply wouldn't allow outsiders with sharp items next to him. No matter how close they were to him. After the birthing process, somebody would be there immediately to help him with his healing. It calmed the young man to know that at least he wouldn't be on his own.

All in all Inuyasha wasn't that worried after the talk. He was used to pain and this time it wouldn't be for naught. He would have kids! Little ones all around the house! The thought made the hanyou grin. When he was young he had always watched human as well as demonic families from afar. Had watched what it was like to have parents and had seen the joy in the eyes of the parents when they regarded their children. Having his own family was the one dream the mixed-blood could never really get rid off. As he matured a little he had tried to find his own mate but had come to realize that he was still considered too young by most and that there hardly were any dog demons around. Being a hanyou made the search even more fruitless and tiring. Many of the dogs he had encountered were very proud and liked to keep their distance to anyone else. Even to their own kind. The hanyou was convinced that the lack of contact within his race was the main reason why there were so few dog-demons roaming the country. He had only known one exception. Back then he had met that one dog demoness he had come to adore and who had liked him in return. She died far too soon by the hands of a priest. Now that he thought about it. She was also the reason why Kikyo's sad smile on the meadow had haunted him back then, and made him fall in love with her. But that lies now in the past. All of it. The good as well as the bad memories were reduced to nothing more than distant dreams.

The hanyou shook his head and shooed all females and his past out of his thoughts. He could not afford to get too depressed or sad. He had learned that his mood had the tendency to tip over very easily. Mood swings were one scary invention of mother nature. They were even worse than those cravings. Or the fact that his thoughts tended to jump like a mad rabid from one train of thoughts to the next. Wait, wasn't he thinking about the reason why he did not dare to leave the house? … The hanyou stopped his little walk in the house and groaned in annoyance. Again he had lost himself in daydreams that switched fast enough to make his head hurt. At a small sound next to him his ear swivelled and the hanyou looked longingly out of the window next to him and imagined how it would be to walk outside for a while. The indoor-garden was great but it was too confined by the walls to make him relax. It was like living in a luxurious golden cage. It was kind of depressing. Inuyasha cursed once more Sainoarashi's loose tongue. It was his fault that he was stuck in this pit. Back then when he had his conversation with Shioshiso he had decided to join them. Apparently he found them a little too stiff and to lift their spirits he decided to share some old stories with them. So he told them in one of his more merry moods how many pregnant people had messed up their own birthing process or unintentionally killed their newborns. They had miscalculated the date or situation and were caught unprepared in various embarrassing or dangerous locations to give birth. Saino could hardly control his snickers as he told him and the short-haired Diwata very detailed about that one time where some poor chick had to give birth on the market place, because her child was a premature baby. The humiliation she must have felt as her water broke right in front of a stall. Or the desperation she must have felt as she could not make it home in time. How she tried to ignore the people around her as they offered her various (alcoholic) drinks to calm her nerves. Then he told about that one poor fugitive guy that had tripped and had somehow accidentally initiated the birthing process. Right on the battle field with bloody limbs practically flying by. And the stories kept getting worse. So worse to make the nature-loving youngster not dare to set a single foot in front of his door while being highly pregnant. The stories were fearsome enough to even make lady Shioshiso order a healer to take quarter in his mansion in case he accidentally triggered a terrible birthing-scenario 'by reaching for his breakfast' as she put it. The stories were so wretched that just the thought of what could happen with his pups would make him sick. Badly sick.

To make certain that he would not be added to Saino's horror stories he had decided to stay home until he could hold his kids in his arms. Or even better, until he was once again fit enough to wring that gloatingly pest's neck! His resolve to stay where it was safe for his pups had various unforeseen enjoyable side benefits. Firstly, the Diwata-healer had turned out to be one of his friends who had decided to stay until both his and Fuuka's babes were ready to be born. Secondly, Aring tried to outdo himself with each meal to appease the two highly pregnant inhabitants as well as their new occupant. And last but not least he was no longer engaged with various eager Diwata and their words of advice. Inuyasha was always surprised by how much the Diwata were informed about pregnancy, especially considering that there very hardly any newborns in their rows. The mixed-blood smiled at that. The Diwata loved to gather new knowledge and whenever something new was found or considered interesting, no matter how small it was, it took the spotlight for days. At first it had confused the hanyou to no end to see something that looked so much like a human to rotate like a swarm of blood-starved mosquito over any kind of scrolls or parchments. But lately he had learned to share their enthusiasm. It reminded him of his time with his mother, it was just a little more on the extreme side. Or maybe it was more on the side of obsession.

Inuyasha surveyed the long corridor and decided to search for something edible. He changed directions and continued his walk into the kitchen in hope of a small snack. He filched some poultry pies and went on with his way. As he went past one of the mirrors he stopped and looked at his mirror image. During most of his pregnancy he had hardly shown at all. In fact only during the last month his body had really started to gain width. Inuyasha had to learn the hard way that for all their differences Diwata and humans had a lot in common. Many Diwata shared the opinion from people of Kagome's world: Someone who was pregnant was radiant. Point made and no opposition accepted! No matter how many time the half-inu told them that as a 'waddling barrel' you were neither dignified nor beautiful and as a male you were definitely not cute! In that regard they were at least as stubborn as him and continued playing deaf while they kept on praising him, much to the young male's embarrassment.

The hanyou passed the gate to his inner garden when a sharp pang of pain in his mid-section made him drop his snack and double over. He hissed deeply at a sharp pain and gritted his teeth. It felt like something in him was tearing and pulsing. After a few seconds the pain was gone like it had never been there. Instead of agony there was something cool on his midsection and he started shivering. The youngster fingered his belly and gathered something wet on his finger. Surprised he lifted his collar a little and took a look under the layers. His belly was covered with some cool reddish liquid. As he watched it spread he almost lost his footing. His body was going numb and he hardly felt his feet keeping him upright. "Oh, great. Why now, I should have at least a weak left! Well at least I am not outside of the mansion grounds. Oi, Tsurara get down here! TSURARA! ARING come here!" the hanyou shouted out to the friends. After long seconds he could hear steps and then the young healer with the sky-blue eyes as well as his Familiar stormed his garden in their rush. The healer let her eyes wander over him and immediately seized control of the situation. She assisted the Fog-Familiar and together they helped the hanyou to the small prepared chamber and placed him on the cushions in the corner. Next to him Aring placed a big basket with multiple warm blankets and then gave the hanyou some herbal tea to calm his nerves. Tsurara freed him of his seemingly endless amount of fabric in the meantime. She did not leave the hanyou's side and checked his body's condition as well as that of the unborn babes. "Alright, Inuyasha. Everything looks normal. It is a little early but there won't be too much trouble. Do you remember everything?" the healer asked in a neutral emotionless voice that would have made Sesshomaru jealous. It certainly had that effect on the nervous half-blood. The hanyou answered gruffly "Yeah I do. I wait for the pulses and which each pulse I cut along the birthing lines. Later with the pulses comes the 'calling' of the pups. Now take some distance before my instincts start to lash out at you!" The blue-eyed healer nodded and took some steps back and seated herself at the end of the room. She grabbed the nervous Aring's wrist and commanded him to get the Lady as well as clean warm water. Happy to be of any help the Familiar ran outside and left his master with the Diwata-healer.

The mixed-blood leaned his head against the cushions behind him. He could feel his pups move lightly inside of him. Just a little longer and his dream would partly come true. Only the mate would have to wait a little longer. The mixed-blood caressed his belly and tried to calm his fluttering heart. He closed his eyes at the tingling sensation spreading in his belly. It felt so alien but at the same time it felt right and familiar. The strange tingle was disgusting and more than a little welcome at the same time. A small pulse zipped through his body breaking his musing. The unborn babes stilled. Now he and they were ready. His index-claw elongated and he placed the tip of his claw at end of the cross-shaped birth mark. With the next pulse he became calm and made the first vertical cut. His body was blissfully numb and the inu's eyes followed carefully his sharp claw. He could feel a slight echo of the pain, but for someone who was so used to pain, it hardly mattered. The blood flowed freely from his open wound. The dark liquid soaked what little clothes he had left on his person and gathered in small pools around him. With the second pulse he made a bloody trail over the horizontal birth mark. Forming an opening in his middle. His flesh lay open and the hanyou could see inside his body. He had been wounded and bleeding so often that he thought nothing could shock him. But seeing his body like this and feeling nothing but excitement and a little discomfort was more than a little disturbing to him. The hanyou withdrew uncertainly his hand when his own innards lay before him. Only his instincts as well as his teachings made him keep his cool. Another pulse hit him and he felt a pull from deep inside his body. His eyes flashed red for a short second before he lifted his hand and dug careful but deep in his own body. A small movement at his fingers tip made the hanyou feel euphoric. He closed his hand around the slimy birthing bag and carefully lifted the first babe out of his body. The wiggling puppy filled the palm of his hand. He turned the birthing bag around and lifted it to his mouth. With his fangs he broke the bloody bag and finally held the first puppy to his chest. He tilted his head and cleaned the muzzle with his own tongue and was rewarded with a small whine. He bit through the umbilical chord and took his first real look at the puppy. It was a male with the whitish-blue fur which he knew from his brother. It had a jaggered waning moon in dark green on its fore head. He could make out more dark green stripe-markings around the puppy's waist, chest, tights and neck. It sniffed his neck while his little paws tapped lightly against his chest. The hanyou smiled serenely and placed the puppy in the basket. He wrapped the yipping wonder in a warm blanket and focused once more onto his body. The next one was getting cranky.

Inuyasha felt the next pulse. And with the pulse the euphoric feeling returned. His bloody hand dived once more impatiently into his body. This time he had not to wait. Immediately something pushed against the intruding appendage. He twisted his hand and closed it around the next bag. Carefully he pulled his next puppy out. He brought the bag to his mouth and ripped the slimy bag open once more. Under the layer the hanyou was greeted with slick silver-white fur. Inuyasha freed the little life and dropped the bag. He lifted the little puppy to his mouth and cleaned the muzzle and bit through its umbilical chord. Afterwards he inspected it like the other one. It was a beautiful female pup. She was the same size like her brother. Her silver-white fur was softer than her brothers and a tad longer. Inuyasha saw that in the corner of each of her eyes she had a curved star-like mark in a deep scarlet colour. Similar markings could be found at her hips, wrists and her upper back. The hanyou admired the small being, when he suddenly realized that she had made no noise. Even after he cleaner her - there was no yip, no hiss. Nothing. Maybe … no, that could not be. He lifted her again to his face and licked her face more urgently this time. He growled low trying nervously to get a reaction. Any kind of reaction. When his hair fell over her small nose, he heard her sneeze and growl unhappily for a short moment. Then she became still once more. The mixed-blood exhaled deeply. Not dead, just as bloody calm as his brother. Still half in shock he placed the little bitch carefully in the basket and wrapped her in a different blanket. He petted her little head and looked at his pups as they tripped over each other in search for warmth and food. The picture was adorable and made him smile. Just a little more time and then he could afford to feed them.

Then he felt it, the next pulse and with it came the pull from the last of his puppies. Before his hand had managed to touch it he could feel it squirm in excitement. With some difficulties and some pained growls he eventually managed to get a good grip on his youngest and started to pull it into the world. This one was a little wilder than his siblings and Inuyasha needed both hands to hold the energetic bundle calm. He carefully bit into the bag and slid it off the shaking pup. The half-blood saw that this one had also silver-white fur that was decorated with lilac crescent moons on its legs and arms. On the forehead he saw two overlapping crescent moons and on his cheeks he found a single curved line. It yipped while sniffing anything of him within reach. The hanyou grinned and bit the cord through before covering it with a blanket in the basket.

Inuyasha felt the numbness reduce so he forced his attention away from the basket to the mess he had made of himself. For an absurd moment he wondered exactly how long it would need to get this clean. "Keh" the hanyou snorted and then took hold of his loose flesh and laid it carefully back into place. Over the still heavily bleeding wound. Afterwards he controlled his remaining energy to force it into his wounded midsection when- "Wait Yasha!" Tsurara said softly. The hanyou stopped and looked with a raised eye brow to her. "What for? I have to hurry or it will get ugly" he panted. The healer nodded then dug something out of her bag and rolled a longish bottle in his direction. With some difficulties he lifted it up. Inside he saw a brownish-green liquid, it smelled like herbs and some for him unknown chemicals. "True, but first please drink this, it should help with the initial healing and also with the pain. Remember, only focus your power to close your body's wound. With your body also your demonic instincts will stabilize and I will take care of you. We-" She was interrupted by a knock to the door and when said door opened. Lady Shioshiso peered inside. The Diwata looked dishevelled and her feet as well as the hem of her robes were quite dirty, but her eyes started to sparkle when she saw the content of he basket next to the hanyou. "I am glad I made it on time. As I see the healing has yet to take place so please proceed. … What are you waiting for?!" the older female asked as she sat down next to the healer. Never breaking eye contact with the hanyou. Inuyasha calmed when he saw the woman and downed the bitter liquid. It worked immediately. His senses cleared a little, while the pain reduced a little more, but the best was that somehow his body now had some additional reserves. With a grin he nodded to the other two and placed his palms over his belly and focused. His Diwata power helped him to balance his energy and after a short moment the ends of the loose flesh started to mend. It was a painfully slow and tiring task and if not for his perfect health and control it would have been a risky undertaking. He knew that most demons depended on their mates and now he felt it with his own body why they felt the need. With each seconds his body returned slowly to its health, but he became tired. So terrible tired. His hands started to shake and with a last energy boost, the hanyou closed the once bleeding wound with fresh tender skin.

The females sprung into action and advanced slowly to him. Shioshiso held Tsurara back as she bend down to his eye level and asked "Inuyasha, feel for your demonic power. Is it still in control? Can we assist you in your healing?" The hanyou searched for any straining or twirling power but found none. "It's safe. Begin." the hanyou whispered. The leader nodded and gestured for the healer to join her as both settled next to the hanyou. Ignoring for the moment the shaking basket. Both placed their hands on his middle and send a bright light into his exhausted body. Inuyasha groaned in gratitude - it felt like gentle warm waves. Like a dive into a hot spring after having been forced to fight for months on end. His eyes were half lidded when he watched the concentrated faces of the two woman. After a few moments they were finished. "Tsurara, return to your lab and bring some tonics for his coming cramps. Some remedy for insomnia will probably be necessary as well. Now please go!" she ordered gently but with a firm voice.

The girl nodded and rose to her feet and with swift steps she left the room. Only to be replaced by Aring who practically tumbled into the room with a bucket full of clean steaming water and various rags. Over his shoulder he had thrown some more blankets and towels. He looked at the hanyous belly and released his breath. His shoulders slumped a little and he smiled with flashing fangs at the hanyou. Shioshiso caught his attention when she placed her delicate hand on his shoulder "The birthing went well and for the coming difficulties Tsurara will bring her potions. For now you should focus on feeding and cleaning your children. We cannot touch them without being confronted with your instinctual wrath. Do net fret I shall stay and keep your energy level stable." With that she stood up and went around the youngster to give him some place to move. The hanyou nodded to her and reached into the basket for the first newborn.

He grabbed the youngest as he was closest to him and placed him on his chest. With his sharp claws he cut his skin at his collar bone till he drew blood. Then he placed the fluffy bundle to his collar bone and let it latch onto the cut. With the first puppy busy he reached for the one with the bluish-white hair. This one was by far calmer and waited without any movements till the bearer's blood touched its muzzle. Then it jumped at the newly created cut. The hanyou reached once more into the ruined basket and retrieved his last child. It was still calm and it seemed patient. He placed her onto his chest and used his thumb to make a small bloody scratch for the little puppy. She smelled the blood and with a soft yip her tongue lapped it up.

Aring smiled at the scene. He moistened the cloth and with feather-soft touches cleaned his masters midsection. The Familiar hummed softly to himself as he reached for another rag and cleaned the fur of the small white dogs. The lady did not leave the room. She stayed until both bearer and newborn were cleaned and brought to his room, where they laid down to rest. Afterwards she bid Fuuka and Aring good bye and left the mansion. In front of it she found the mischievous scholar. "I will not ask you how you found out that he gave just birth, but why did you insist on these stories. You exaggerated and made him nervous. Such a mood should be avoided during pregnancy at any cost, so why did you insist on doing this to him?" Shioshiso asked. Her voice was soft and barely more than a whisper but it contained a steely edge. Sainoarashi smiled at the question "I only did what was necessary to keep him from getting distracted or sad. Furthermore I needed to gather some things for him and also for you, milady. For the young one I went to his friends and informed them of his coming visit in about six months and I also went to see the other father, to see whether or not we should confront him with the puppies. As for you milady … I fear you worry is legitimate. It has not stopped, in fact it seems like it is beginning once more. What shall we do?"

The woman looked with sad eyes at the young man. "Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. We will have to be careful or our blood will be spilled. I promised Inuyasha to let him see his friends and decide which path he will venture on in his future, but if he chooses to stay with the mortals and the demons we will have to create some guards. Without protection he will likely be attacked and disappear. Now let us move on, today was an eventful day and all of us are in dire need of rest." With that the woman turned and walked away. The learned man looked at the closed door before he left as well.

- The next day at the Diwata-community -

Inuyasha groaned at his stiff and aching muscles as he rose from his layered bed. Lying next to him were multiple blankets and cushions on which a small puppy pile rested. As he came closer they rose from their slumber and stumbled towards him. With a grin he gathered the fleecy puppies in his arms and rested his back against the wall. Somewhere during the night they had opened their eyes and they were now staring curiously with the typical crimson orbs of the demonic form at him. The puppies climbed and stumbled over his form and for a moment he watched their antics with a soft smile. Afterwards he arranged them on his lap. He focused his power in the tip of his finger and placed it on the first-born puppy. He infused it with power and placed it on the pup's temple, showing him with the instinctual knowledge his other form. It took a small moment then the puppy changed to its humanoid form. He repeated the action with his little sister and afterwards with the youngest male. Having finished the draining task the hanyou placed the babes next to him and slumped into one of the cushion. His eyes roamed over their plump faces and tiny bodies. They were perfect! Beautiful, with markings and with elfin ears, like the celestial-dog-race they descended from. And there were his!

Inuyasha grinned as he watched the babes struggle to crawl over him and the sheets of the bed. The youngest returned first to his side. Inuyasha guessed that he would later have all hands full with this one. He had a lean build and big golden eyes that followed every of his movements. The babe made content cooing noises as it tried to climb onto his belly. Inuyasha grabbed him and helped onto his chest. Getting the small weight away from his sore belly. The lilac moon-like markings were contrasting sharply with the silver-white hair and the clear eyes, the beautiful curved lines gave him an elegant appearance despite being a baby.

Shortly after the oldest babe crawled straight to his neck and gave a soft whine to him. The jaggered moss-green markings looked great. It was the only one with the white-blue hair of his brother. His eyes were a little narrowed like Sesshomaru's were, but unlike the Daiyokai they did show emotion. It yipped urgently to tell him to feed him. The hanyou lifted him to his neck and broke once more the skin to give him his meal. While he was at it he opened another spot on his neck and grabbed his youngest to feed him. His two boys were occupied feeding, so his eyes watched his daughter. The little girl crawled idly yet strangely elegant over to him. The hanyou grinned at the picture. She was not even a day old and already behaved like the spoilt princess that she was probably going to be. She had silvery-white hair and clear open eyes. Her skin shone like alabaster and the small scarlet star-like markings completed the picture of nobility. Like her brothers her eyes were open and brimmed with emotion when she looked at him or her brothers. After a short eternity she finally rested next to him. When she tried to crawl up his chest she received a kick from her squirming older brother and immediately the open vulnerable look in her eyes died away. She glared daggers and murder at her brother and gave a small growl from her throat. The hanyou lifted her up and nuzzled her face, which calmed the female full of life. He fed her with her brothers and thought about the names he had collected over the past weeks.

After their meal the half-blood put the babes in front of him and watched them carefully. The little girl was still once more. She was radiant like the rising sun. And her switching temper remembered him a lot of his brother – the 'Killing Perfection'. …Why not? "Up we go little one" he said as he lifted the little girl to his face "from now on your name is Shiasahime, in short Shia. What do you say?" the hanyou asked and was answered with confused eyes but a happy sound from his daughter.

The youngest babe stormed over to his sister with bright eyes sparkling full of innocence. The hanyou did not have to think for long. He placed Shia down and grabbed the youngest and lifted him right in front of his eyes. "You shall be known as Gin'no'Niji, as nickname it will be Gin. I am convinced you will bring hope and joy to those around you." The hanyou said festively. Gin seemed to agree and bounced in his hand as good as he could. When he was placed down his attention shifted to his sister next to him, who was immediately jumped. Inuyasha ignored her small angry growl and concentrated on his oldest son. "You have patience. That is a trait you definitely have not from me, but thank you for your waiting my son. Now come here." Inuyasha said and held his hands to the oldest babe. It looked a little confused but crawled with safe movements to him. The half-inu looked at his eldest and thought about his name. The child seemed both distant, as well as close. He was often in control (well at least for a babe), but sometimes flashed rather strong emotions through. Now he had one. He liked it. "Your name will be Chiheisenmaru. Heis will be the name we as your family will use to call you. What do you think about my choice?" the hanyou asked with a fond smile. The babe did not answer immediately but after a moment Heis gave him a satisfied growl. "Glad you like it." Inuyasha said chuckling. He lowered his son and looked all of his children over.

He arranged the babes in silken blankets and left with them to take his breakfast and to introduce them to the others.

**- tbc -**

Here the meaning of the puppies names: Shiasahime (=Princess of Morning Death) was a rather easy name, of which I am very fond of. In fact the name was created before the little girl and it was the reason for the outcome of her behaviour. Gin'no'Niji (=Silver Rainbow) was a little more difficult. I wanted the 'silver' part in the name and needed to test a little around before I found this name. Chiheisenmaru (=Perfect Horizon) was the most difficult name. In fact it was more or less pure coincidence that I found the word 'horizon'. I liked it a lot and decided to take it over because it was a male term.

What do you think about the names and pups? Reviews and Critics to me!


	13. Chapter 13

Wohoo~! We hit the fifty reviews mark! Half of a hundred. This is awesome, guys. Thank you so much for your backup. With no further delay here is the new chapter.

**Chapter 13: Meeting for a second First Time**

The sun had sunk in KagayakuNiwa and a tired half-blood sat still in his ritual room focusing his powers onto the small shining orb floating above his hand. The marble-like orb shone in various green shades and sometimes gave colourful rainbow-light from its depths. The hanyou loved the concentrated form of his powers the most. It felt utterly delicious to forge nature and its power into such a small deceivingly-fragile form. The thought that he held a part of nature's power in his palm was a thrill that even the Shikon Jewel had never rose from him. He sometimes wondered if there were others in their midst that felt so drawn to the deceivingly delicate power. But he had no desire to abuse his powers. No, instead he used his new talents to turn his former territory into a little paradise. He took especially care of the forest that bore his name as well as to the village that dwells next to it.

In the beginning he had been too reckless with his plans. Well, he had been like a little kid. When he was told that he could create and manipulate each plant that he had bonded with he had been too eager. He had tried to create foreign plants with fruits right next to his village and some beautiful dark flowers in his forest. The forest flowers went well. He had picked flowers that needed shaded positions, unlike the trees. The flowers adapted and he was proud of his first little success. The pear trees on the other hand died shortly after their creation. The plants showed him how displeased they were by his grossly negligent actions, by sending him their pain when they withered. The punishment cooled his fire down faster than he would have liked. Afterwards he had been told that if the plants died because of a mistake on his part, the plants would cling to their bond with him and punish him for his blunder. It had been painful but it was just, that he paid for the death he had caused to beings that depended on him. Afterwards he had always been careful when drawing on his power when growing plants.

Inuyasha admired his newest creation. After his routine growing and healing session of his territory he went to his next project. Right next to the village he had created a new breed of gooseberry. He was certain the villagers would love them. At least he loved them. They would carry far more and bigger fruits and they would have far less thorns than normal ones. These plants had to depend on the humans, but the mixed-blood had no doubt that the mortals would look after his gift for them. Now he took a look at the map of his territory. A river further east caught his attention. He tipped onto it on the map and it depicted the surrounding of said river. It was rather plain considering that it had a good location and rich earth surrounding it. With his will he moved the orb over to the river on his map and started to concentrate. The light from the orb intensified and the long-haired male could feel the connection building - when a scratching sound interrupted his focus. The focus fell and the connection snapped. The hanyou groaned at the sound and got to his feet. He did not even have to ask who it was. With few quick steps he was at the door and yanked it open. The moment the door slid to the side he felt two small arms around his ankle and a tug onto his crimson robes. His gaze fell to the floor and landed on a bluish-white head with golden eyes in a pouting face. He exhaled deeply. This was already the fifth time this day that his eldest had managed to slip his two baby-sitters and miraculous make it down the stairs unharmed and to this door. To his side. "Greetings Heis. If you keep coming to my side I won't have a reason to keep Saino and Koto around. Because frankly, they suck at watching over you and your siblings." the inu-hanyou grumbled. The pup hummed, whether in agreement, happiness or because he did not like the atmosphere the youngster did not know.

He bent down and took off the sharp needle like claws from his hakama. The parent turned the child around and looked into the open and vulnerable eyes. He could not be mad. He could be furious with Koto and Saino, but definitely not with this little angel. The mixed-blood sighed and whispered to the small child "It is late anyway so thank you for getting me. Now let us see how your siblings do and then let's have supper. Eiri is probably throwing a fit right now" Inuyasha chuckled good-naturedly. He cradled Chiheisenmaru to his chest so that only his small head could be seen poking out of the nest of his arms. The babe was content at the position and snuggled as close as possible into his father's chest. Together they made their way to the nursery to collect various babes and probably frustrated baby-sitters. After climbing the stairs the inu could hear Saino curse rather loudly. Inuyasha's ears swivelled at that and his mouth thinned into a line. He refrained from cussing whenever one of his kids was crawling by, so why did everyone else have such problems with it? The silver-haired boy entered the nursery room unnoticed and grinned at the scene in front of him. His first glance landed on Kotodoki, who was trying to loosen Shia's death grip from the light-blue curtain. After a lot of tucking she had decided to try it with bribery. With medium success the hanyou noticed. One of her claws as well as her feet were very reluctant to let go of the soft fabric, no matter how many toys floated in front of the little girl eyes. Inuyasha's golden orbs wandered and narrowed when they landed on Sainoarashi. Apparently he had lost his youngest to the white drawers decorated with the light-blue reeds. Gin was stuck right behind it or refused to leave his new hide out. It did not matter, the puppy was thick-headed and once he managed to get somewhere fun he would not let go. The only babe that behaved more or less was Fuuka's kid Eiri. The tiny grey-haired figure was close to tears or to throwing yet another fit. Inuyasha couldn't help himself, he groaned at the picture of the chaos. "Well hello to you guys. As amusing as it is to watch you two getting hell from the little ones, I think you need a break. Luckily I know some good ways to get these little rascals to behave during that short break. So make a little space for me, will ya?" the hanyou stated and went down to his knees. "Saino please collect Eiri. Kotodoki come here and take Heis, he should be good, for a little while at least." To that both baby-sitters sprang to their feet and took the two babes and afterwards some safety steps back. The mixed-blood nodded and redirected his gaze to his unruly offspring. He gave a low growl from his throat and caught immediately the attention of the babes. After a short while two little pairs of arms shot out and found their way around his neck, where they held on for dear life. "So now let us go. We could all use some food and we have some things to discuss." Inuyasha said as he cast a glance at Sainoarashi who simply nodded. He knew what it was about. It had been about six months from when he gave birth and now he would visit his friends. It was promised to him. And the proud race stood to their word, no matter what comes.

Loaded with four excited babes they made their way to the dining room and silently prayed that the two Familiars would return soon. While preparing the meal the three older ones chatted among each other. Dinner itself was a rather calm affair. With their attention turned to the milk the little demons and the Familiar babe became little well-behaved angels. Only the bottles would need to be exchanged. For all their cuteness the children did had very sharp little fangs. Inuyasha eyed the slaughter of the helpless bottles and abandoned his plate in favour of eyeing Saino. "Tomorrow night I would like to return." Inuyasha began and continued before the man with the shoulder-length hair got a chance to open his mouth. "I will not return with the pups, they will stay here for the duration of my short absence. It is too dangerous as it is; besides I do not know what to expect. I already talked with Shioshiso and she agreed to accompany me to my friends in case they do not believe me. I suppose she also wishes to protect me from them. I already talked with Aring and Fuuka about my visit and they agreed with my plan. … There is one thing I need, from you my friend." Inuyasha said and hesitated for a moment. He searched in the other male's eyes and immediately found his agreement to whatever he would ask for. The thought made him smile a little. "To be direct, I am worried about Sesshomaru. He is one of the main reasons I refuse to take my children along. He is a danger not only to me but now to my pups as well. But there is hope for my little family. In fact that guy has a big weak spot, which I intend to exploit fully. That guy is hell-bent on following demonic rules and traditions and that is my way around his claws and whip. But I need more information. I went through the entire library but couldn't find much. I want you to infiltrate his library and gather information that will help me against this guy. Anything is fine as long as it helps me to bring that guy to his knees. Do you understand my request?"

Saino exhaled in relief. "And here I thought you would ask for something difficult or impossible." the Diwata joked his eyes sparkling with mirth "Don't fret. I will get your documents as well as my entertainment. I will need to prepare for the departure, so I will leave the day after tomorrow. Then you and me will have many scrolls and parchments to go over. Look forward to it!" the green-eyed man chirped happily. Inuyasha grinned and turned to Kotodoki "How about coming along Koto? You have met them before and I know you well enough to understand that you miss that crazy bunch." The little girl's eyes shone with happiness and she agreed with enthusiasm. The remaining evening was uneventful and ended when the hanyou excused himself with his children. They slept together this night just like the very first night, ignoring like so often the beds of the babes.

The next morning came fast and went by just swift as well. Before the hanyou had time to blink the sun had set and the head of the village stood in front of him. Everything went by so fast that he refused to believe he had attended any of his classes. He turned his head and admired the Diwata-head that strode to him. Kotodoki right beside the short-haired beauty. The tall female stepped forward "Greetings nephew. I hope you could rest up to this point. Now its time to leave!" and with that she went on walking side by side with the two younger. After a short walk they ended up right in front of the stone portal, which the hanyou had never been able to pass on his own accord. "Koto, you will wait here for a moment. Yasha please come, there is something you need to see" and once more the lady moved on and the half-blood trailed after her. They went to the 'White Room' where his powers had activated and where he had bonded with plant life. "I will now show you how you will pass the gate. Keep the secret to yourself as Koto is still too young to have her run around unattended. Now watch here!" she said and within her hand a unique flower was created. Its stalk was snow white. So white that it's shadows were a soft blue and not grey, like freshly fallen snow. It was covered with small hairs, like fur of a newborn kitten. The petals of the blossom were a rich dark that shimmered in the light in a deep violet. The fragile flower was bizarre, but oddly breathtaking.

The Lady let him admire the petite wonder and said with a calm voice "I do not know if you are aware of that fact but each world is connected to others. In order to gain access to one world you need to find the specific gate and the fitting key to pass it. The key itself can be anything. And with anything I do mean anything. It can be an item, a movement or a thought. That is the reason why it's almost impossible to move between worlds. This flower is here is unique. We created it just for this purpose. It is a 'Keyflower'. To pass the stone gate all you need to do is imagine this flower in front of your inner eye. Then you can pass. Here take it and memorize it." the woman handed the youngster the precious 'Keyflower'. After a short moment the hanyou broke his gaze from the beautiful sight and he concentrated on the elder's face "Actually I was expecting many things to pass that gate, but this tops them all. Say Shioshiso, Kagome and I often passed through a well to her world. What was the key? We had nothing in common at that time. In fact even today there are not many similarities that would explain why only the two of us were able to pass. You know the reason, don't you?" the hanyou questioned the pink-eyed woman. The youngster had long since learned that the lovely leader in front of him enjoyed being one step in front of those around her.

The lady smiled and took some steps in the direction of the exit. She gestured for him to follow and when he started to move she responded "You are correct. I do know the reason. I was intrigued by the portal and decided to go and see the world for myself. After many tries I managed to pass." The mixed-blood gaped at her and tried not to imagine how the modern humans would react to the strong willed female in their midst. The woman continued obvious of his musings "The fitting key to this gate is a being or object that contains both light and darkness. Both opposites need to be in harmony and only then can the person pass. It is quite the tricky gateway." That statement shocked the half-Diwata "Does that mean that someone like Naraku would have been able to pass through anytime?!" The very idea of that vile beast passing into Kagome's world and wrecking havoc was terrible. "No. For him it would have been impossible. The moment the jewel comes within his reach it taints and looses its balance. So it is not an option. And he himself may be a mixed-blood, but he was born out of human greed, jealousy and hate. He has never been a mix of both light and darkness and therefore he has always been unable to use the gate."

The conversation continued until both reached the stone gate. "Now Inuyasha, please place your 'mirror key' onto the stone and remember what I showed you in the 'White Room'." The hanyou did as requested and the next moment he was hit by a hot wave of air and he felt his body being stretched. It was the same feeling as that one time where he had travelled with his friend. As fast as the feeling came it was gone and he stood once more on Goshinboku. He turned his head and saw how the tree glowed in a light green when hundreds of small light-particles gathered from the trunk. Inuyasha's eyes sparkled at the beautiful sight and a second later, the sea of light shaped itself to the other two Diwata. When the older female manifested and noticed his stare she gave him a smug grin "Close your mouth nephew. What did you expect from beings rivalling gods? The least we can do is to offer these mortals a good show when they should be close by" And then she hopped down the roots with light movements, swift and silent like a cat. Koto followed her example. The pink-eyes of the little one shone with excitement when she waved him over.

The half-Diwata watched them for a moment and then jumped after them. He managed to coax them to raise their speed and together they ran at a neck-breaking speed through the forest. After only few minutes the village came into plain view. The females throttled their speed, raised their chin and strode with pride that bordered on arrogance into the village. The half-blood slowed down for a moment and decided to take a small detour. He wanted to see how the humans treated his gift. With a jump he was hidden in the surrounding trees.

The tall and the small lady continued towards a certain hut. They ignored the curious questions thrown at them and basket in the attention. After getting the attention of every last human of the village the females went content to a hut at the border of the village. They could hear various voices and feel multiple presences nearby. The older held the younger back and hid her behind her form. They waited for Inuyasha's aura to come closer then they knocked on the door and stepped inside. The older of the two invaders smiled at the picture of confusion and curiosity that she could read in each aura. There were humans and two little demons gathered around the pot, all enjoying a simple meal. The lady saw the entire hunter group plus two babes in a cradle and a knocked out girl in the corner that must have been little Rin. "Pardon our intrusion. We wanted to introduce ourselves but it seems that we intrude on your supper. Shall we leave and come back at a later moment?" the Diwata asked in an innocent voice, luring and fuelling their curiosity. To make certain she would not be denied she shove her daughter to her side. The reaction was prompt-

"What the-". the monk began. "Blossom, when did you-" the elderly woman interrupted. "Are you alright? What happened back then?" a girl with rather short cut clothes for this season finished. Within seconds the entire bunch was on their feet. Shioshiso grinned inwardly. Way too easy. "It seems you already know my daughter. I assume you are the kind people that found her when she went on her little … excursion. Hopefully she did not cause any trouble." the question was in fact a statement. As on cue she was answered how nice she had been, or how well-behaved the little girl was and so on. The powerful female was well aware of her child's behaviour as well as of the conducts of her hosts. Including the 'food-poisoning'. At that thought she had to force her smile to not falter. Or to lash out at the mortals for that matter.

The woman was well aware of the stares she received for her unusual robes or her individual hair-cut but frankly she did not care. She felt her nephew approach and her smile widened a little without any force or pressure. "The travel was rather harsh, so would it be alright if we were to rest for a short moment? I suppose Koto has much to catch up to you" the lady said straight-forward. The monk adjusted to her little game "Of course, milady. Please take part in our humble evening meal." She nodded and gracefully took the seat the monk gestured to. Without wasting a second she was eyed by the elderly human "Say my child, why are ye here? I can understand why your daughter wished to meet us, but why are ye really here?" The short-haired beauty fingered her long silver earring at the question and eyed the old female. "Not only my daughter, but also my nephew wanted to see these young people again." the elegant woman said gesturing vaguely to the group. That simple statement surprised the hunters. Shioshiso saw how some of them threw confused glances at her, each other and her daughter. She could practically hear how the wheels in their heads started to crunch. As she watched these youngsters trying to remember where they met her kin, she heard the skimpy female mutter "I doubt we have met anyone that unusual or with such an eye colour." To that statement the lady raised her voice and said loud and clearly "Nephew did you hear? Apparently they have forgotten all about you." A gruff voice answered amused "Keh, I'm hurt."

The group spun around. Bowls were knocked over. Gasps and choked sounds echoed through the little hut. And then silence. Absolute silence. Not even the animals scattered around the village seemed to make any noise. The typical rustling of the colourful leaves had stopped. For a few seconds the world seemed to stop when the hanyou stepped inside the hut. Looking radiant, pulsing with power and hiding any negative emotions. The lady used the stretched silence to let her eyes roam over her nephew. The appearance of the mixed-blood had rendered his former companions speechless. She was proud of what he had become within these few months. He had not grown physically but he appeared more proper, groomed and powerful. His long hair was cut evenly at his hip and the tips of the strands curled lightly. The snow-white bangs were brushed and tamed with golden threads, framing the face of the youngster. He wore a rich dark-green robe decorated with small silver cranes on his side and at the sleeves. The fabrics floated around his arms and legs, while his torso was wrapped tightly in the precious clothing. Around his wrist shone a black band embedded with sparkling topaz. The stones emphasized the golden eyes that moved from one person to the next. The getas he wore were of a dark colour with silver high-lights. The lady nodded approvingly at Aring's taste and at the way the young male carried himself.

Then hell broke out as the boldest of them came to her feet. Pointing at the young male she shouted "Inuyasha, where have you been! We have been worried! Why have you never returned if you had been alright?!" the barely covered girl went on and on and then "… are you even listening to me Inuyasha?! Why you! SIT!" She screeched outraged. The others flinched at the sudden outburst and shrank in themselves at the shrill shout. They tensed in vain as they expected the fall of their friend. Said friend towered over the girl and raised an eye brow "I am comfortable standing, thank you Kagome." The mixed-blood said evenly as he passed her and focused on the others. The young miko turned her body with him and wanted to continue her tirade when Shioshiso had enough. The tall Diwata rose to her full height and a greenish aura enveloped her body as her gentle smile turned into a deadly glare. The supernatural aura gave birth to thick veins, which sped to the girl and hit the surprised and shocked teen coarsely in her side. Before the teenager hit the ground the appendages wrapped themselves around her upper arm and middle, lifting her into the air.

The others woke from their daze and searched for whatever could be used as a weapon. The hanyou calmed the situation by approaching the fuming lady. "Shioshiso please stop this harsh punishment. She is merely a child, I expected that behaviour and so did you." the older female marvelled at her pupil and tilted her head in acknowledgement. The unnatural plants dissipated into nothingness dropping Kagome on the unyielding ground. Then the hanyou turned to the hunter-group and said "Sorry 'bout her actions. My aunt is a little protective of Kotodoki and myself". With that he placed a hand on the little girl's head by his side, earning him a giggle and a dead-weight latched onto his leg. Jaws hit the ground at the statement. Sango parroted "Aunt?! You mean as in the sister of your mother?! Correct me if I am wrong but your mother was human." The Diwata-head turned to the slayer and simply said "I am not human, so why should my baby-sister be one? Our kind may look like normal humans due to our black hair and the round ears, but we have as much in common with humans as do spirits and demons." With that she gestured for the group to take a seat. The humans kept their mouth shut as they were directed in their own home by a stranger.

Miroku grasped the announcement first "My fair lady what kind of race are you referring to? As far as my knowledge is concerned I do not know of any race that meets those characteristics." the monk said with a silvery tongue and a polite voice. He had seen just how swift her temper flared, how fast she could strike and he knew the aura of a noble from years of experience. The proud female ignored the gasping girl with the big startled eyes and shifted her attention to the monk. "We are Diwata. And I am the current head of this ancient race." her chest swell with pride at her own words. She gave the humans an aloof nod in greeting. The mortals regarded the two women with amazement. For an absurd moment the elder resembled a content cat in the sun, confusing some of the humans and the little fox-demon. Said fox mulled over her words and directed his question at the woman while pointing at the hanyou "Even if you are, how could that mutt be of that race?!" The Diwata turned ice-cold eyes to the rude brat. Her greenish aura flashed for a moment then she breathed out strange white powder, which showered down upon the kittling. The reaction was immediate. He shouted in pain and rubbed and scratched everywhere he could reach, while his skin took on an angry red tone. "As the Lady of KagayakuNiwa my first duty is to protect my kin. And no one will be spared if I consider them a danger or a nuisance to us! I won't tolerate insults directed at us. Understood little demon?! If so, you should go and get cold water on your hot skin. The liquid will ease the effect of the stinging-nettle-extract." Shioshiso dismissed the youngster and talked with the anxious elder.

Shippo stood grounded next to the fire, still rubbing tirelessly at the itching and burning skin. A cold leaf came into contact with his cheek which was gently cupped by it. Startled he jumped back and eyed the fleshly leaves that floated next to him. They shone in green mist. The aura was brighter and more swirling than the aura of the bi-polar female. The kittling's eyes followed the green link and his eyes landed on the hanyou who had once taken him in. The half-blood's eyes shone with concern and when he saw he had the kits attention he spoke calmly "These leaves will get rid of the ache. Crush the leaves and spread the substance on your body. Now go Shippo, the longer you wait the worse it will get." Shippo nodded stunned and gathered the thick leaves from the air and hurried out of the hut. The exchange did not go unnoticed. Sango smiled for the first time since the unknown people had invaded the hut. A wail from on of her sons cut through her thoughts. The other twin was affected by his brother and joined him. The contest of attention broke every conversation when all eyes turned to Sango and her husband. The couple groaned with tired voices. The two had missed sleep for the last three days due to the twins teething. Inuyasha asked the Slayer if he should take a look.

The duo hesitated for a moment, then they remembered how he had handled his kittling without aggravating the strong-willed beauty. Sango gave him her permission while Miroku jokingly wished him luck. The hanyou's ears twitched at the noise and he turned toward the end of the hut to the big cradle. When he came closer he saw the two pairs of flailing arms and legs struggling with their blanket. Inuyasha grinned at the picture. They were a little bigger than his pups but the resemblance to them, to all babes was there nonetheless. Carefully he reached inside the cradle and ghosted his finger over each ones forehead. Then he let the fingers rest on their cheek gently forcing the babes to look at him. He smiled when they calmed a little and ceased their flailing. With little effort he picked them up and held them tightly in his arms. He came back to his friends at the fire and sat down cross-legged. Placing each kid on a leg. The mixed-blood gently pried on of their mouth open, inspecting the swollen gums. He frowned and turned to Miroku and his speechless wife "I think I have something that should ease their pain. May I?" The gaping monk nodded at that, not trusting his voice. The hanyou grinned cocky at his expression and focused onto his power. He shaped it around his hand forcing it to merge into a specific flower he knew would help. The white flower was simple, but its appearance did not matter to the hanyou right now. He wanted the slimy liquid in the stem, so he broke it and gathered the substance at his fingertip. He rubbed it on the swollen flesh of the babes and effectively calmed them. With no pain they were send back to sleep in no time. The parents were astonished by the gentle scene.

Kagome who had been silent after the harsh reprimand stood up and asked more incredulous "Inuyasha, since when do you know how to handle children?!" Nervously the girl eyed Shioshiso, not wanting to aggravate the powerful female. To her surprise the hanyou gave a small laugh, careful not to wake the bundles in his arms. He gave her a sign to wait and got to his feet to return the babes to their crib. The out-worldly girl waited impatiently. The mixed-blood returned to the others and sat down next to the fire. Kotodoki used his free front and climbed on his lap to snuggle down into him. Absently he petted the child's head. He turned to his friend and gave her a big true smile "I am a threefold father myself, Kagome." He stopped and gave the group a moment to digest this information. Amused he saw how their eyes widened and how they tried to form a sentence, only to stop with strange incoherent sounds. The action was repeated over and over till someone finally muttered "How- no forget that, who is the mother? And when … well …"

The hanyou laughed a little and straightened his back. His gaze went to the dancing flames and his eyes clouded over with memories. To calm himself he watched the girl on his person. He forced out "Miroku do you remember the dark witch-hunt we had a year and a half ago? On the mountain there was my older brother. Don't ask me why the prick was there, but he got involved with our mission. In fact he had been working with our target. At least in the beginning he had. Later that day he was fighting her because she went against him. When I joined the brawl she tried to retreat but we stopped her. When she realized that she had instead of one opponent two powerful foes breathing down her neck, she panicked I think. In her desperation she used a potion. I hardly remember what followed after it broke on the ground; even today I am unaware of the precise course. That potion was the reason for my memory-loss as well for everything that followed. Later, Aring and Lady Shioshiso here investigated and decided that it was too dangerous for me to stay here. When they brought me to KagayakuNiwa I learned that I was pregnant and that my brother's instinct had tried to claim me. …Claim me as in life-mate. Luckily the claim was never returned or accepted. So to answer your question – I am their 'mother' while Sesshomaru is the father." Inuyasha's golden orbs went to his friends. He waited for their reaction. He waited for quite a while until Kaede's old raspy voice breathed out "Does Sesshomaru know that he has children or that his instinct has chosen a mate?" Inuyasha shook his head. "No he doesn't. It is far too soon. I fear for his reaction which is why I left them home and why I don't dare to travel with you guys as I have in the past. … For that I apologize." the hanyou finished with honesty.

Another silent minute followed his apology. Then the monk stood up and seated himself beside the hanyou on his left side, seeing that his right side was occupied by a sprawled-out Kotodoki, who had slipped partly from his lap. "You have nothing to apologize for my friend. At least now we know why your body acted so bizarre back then. Besides having a family is more important than going on missions especially for you my friend. But having someone like Sesshomaru as opponent makes everything far more complicated. So don't be sad, it's great to see you well after so long." The monk stopped and switched the topic "What are you currently doing so far from home?" the monk asked jokingly. "Ah the typical nowadays: oppressing high-spirited kids, annoying those who try to teach me, while I for myself decided to overrun this area with weed." The mixed-blood said mock-seriously. His smile turned into a bright grin when he said "I have overtaken this territory and use my power to strength the plant life around here. And seriously I make a good Diwata. A great one!" The corrupt monk laughed. He had no doubt that his friend was of that race. As far as visual aids went he had the aunt to compare and Inuyasha shared various treats with her. The greenish aura was also a telltale proof in his eyes. Besides deep violet eyes were not common human traits. So it was rather easy to accept for him. The same could be told for Sango and Kaede. They saw how he had handled the children and seeing him this 'soft' told exactly how much must have happened. How much they had missed out. Kagome on the other hand had far more difficulties accepting that 'her' hanyou had changed.

It seemed it would be a long night to get to know each other once more.

- The next evening at the western castle -

It was a rather calm night. The sky was tinted with a beautiful pink shade and the air smelled fresh from the rain that passed only few hours ago. The horse-demoness was about to switch the shift of her sentry when an awful stench infiltrated her nose. Hazal nearly gagged, she knew that her nose was not that sensitive but the thick odour aggravated her senses. Then a shadow approached her. A person from whom the stink wafted from, cutting at her eyes and attacking what little sense of smell she had, approached her. The warrior lifted her gaze from the bend position and froze in shock. She could feel her jaw go slack at the person in front of her.

The person that stood in front of her was clothed in glaring colours. The top half was a sun-flower-yellow, while the lower part was decorated in a poisonous green, matching the eyes of the figure. The small feet and hands were covered in red. The eyes of the stranger were painted with coal and the shoulder-length hair was put up with hair pins and a single blue rose. Roses. That's the scent. Hazal groaned as silently as she could. The scent was so pressing, so sickening sweet that it already counted as stench. The figure was soaked in the scent making it impossible to scent him or her, the make-up made it further difficult to determine the gender. As she tried to suppress the need to run for air she realized that he/she spoke to her "I need something from this place and demand entry. Let me pass!" the girl (?) spoke demandingly. Another shock. A person practically screaming suspicious wanted to pass her just like that?! Hazal turned her head searching for the other guards and had to see that most of them had taken some distance to the smelling visitor. She couldn't bring it over herself to be mad at them …

"You need to leave the lord is currently –" "not here." the strange figure interrupted the second lieutenant. He/she bathed in her surprised aura then continued with an amused voice "I know he is currently attending 'serious matters' that are in need of his attention. Did I get everything correct?" the visitor asked with a voice dripping with mocking amusement. Hazal grind her fangs at the rude display. She was a god-damned lieutenant! A proud warrior and she had probably faced more dangers than this fool could even imagine! But that was the precise point … she had dealt with many battles, but having an insane skunk at the door took the cake. She had enough with the lunatic "LEAVE! NOW! If you don't I will throw you out myself. And god help me, I want to sink your colorful, smelling ass in the sea!" As reaction the multi-colored visitor laughed out loud. He looked like he wanted to roll on the ground but kept standing upright. Yes, he. The visitor was a male, Hazal decided. It was only a gut-feeling but she was certain about her guess. She gestured for some of the more smell-resistant guards to come over. Reluctantly they came over while the male collected himself and smirked at the approaching demons.

The visitor's eyes took on a look of playfulness that cornered on viciousness when he said "I hate to say this, but I am spoiled. I do not accept a 'no'. Sorry but this night you will have to play with me!" And with that he sprung forward, ripping something from his wide robe and tossing it at the guards and the lieutenant. He sprung over the demons and with an incredible speed he dashed into the castle. The moment he was past the gate, the items connected with their skin and popped spilling that rotten rose-scent all over them. The female screeched and her eyes blazed red in her fury as she raced after the running form. She hardly registered how some of the guards fainted from the onslaught on their noses. The horse-demoness was fast. Within moments she had covered half the distance between the intruder and herself. She wanted to gut that little pest! Right now she wanted it more than anything and her resolve made her even faster than normal.

She got close and saw with satisfaction how surprise flickered over the painted face as he turned his head to her. Then he caught himself and shouted merrily over to her "What's wrong little girl? Don't tell me you wish to catch me! If so, you have to prove yourself first!" and then his body was enveloped by a swirling green light that went down to his feet. With shock the woman saw that wherever he stepped plants grew. The thorny appendages became twig-like and then collected themselves in shrubs. The plants were growing in every direction, even clinging and climbing up the wall. She saw while running how small buds developed and then they opened. Roses! Again these annoying roses! She saw the smug look on the bastards face and she gave him a dangerous snout and tried to close the distance to the rose-fanatic. To her shock he stopped abruptly, vanishing from her view as her body still took more steps. She tried to stop, but it took a moment and when she turned to rip the brat to shreds she felt like going berserk. The hall behind her and the entrance were covered in an ocean of roses! They were everywhere! And they kept growing in every direction at an alarming speed. She saw them climbing the stairs to the upper levels, saw them cling to the vassals that had tried to pass the area and she saw them growing with no end The way the bushes grew and moved. No, the way they multiplied and slithered over the ground. It was almost as if they were taunting her. She could almost hear them laughing at her.

She threw her head from one side to the other trying and failing to catch a glimpse of the intruder in the smelling and colourful giant-bush. It was impossible to smell the guy and thanks to the multi-coloured blossoms it was hard to spot him. Everything moved and she could faintly hear how some other demons tried to cut the invading weed down. She had been played. She had lost to some stranger that ran now somewhere around in the castle. With desperate strength she threw her body back in action. She dashed at the first stairs and went to get help in her hunt.

Sainoarashi was having a blast! Last night Inuyasha and Kotodoki were having their fun-night, but tonight would belong to him. And only him alone. He ran inside the wide halls and decorated every passing white wall with the flowers of his choice. It already looked like a magical garden. Simply beautiful. He ran on and whenever he sped by somebody who felt powerful he couldn't help himself but throw one of his 'rose-extract-bombs' at the poor soul. Spreading out the flowery scent that hid his location. To increase the scent (and his entertainment) he threw the little makeshift bombs in every fire-place he passed by. Up till now it was rather calm considering that there were various powerful demons roaming this place, but he guessed he had thrown them off his track with his little tactic. Well, maybe they were busy trying to free trapped demons, or he was simply to fast for the snails. He was brought out of his thoughts when he passed the kitchen. A gloatingly smile spread over his face when he went in.

The man added to each dish he found some of his extract, while he imagined just how these pompous demons would react if their supper would smell like their attacker. When he turned around he saw a forgotten kitchen robe. Saino smirk brightened at the little gift. Without losing a second he shed off his offending outfit and put on the dull grey uniform. The intruder turned around and picked up his clothes and threw them into the open fire of the oven. Of course he did not discard it without adding the last remains of the extract.

He left the kitchen with a small snicker and knocked a little girl over. He lowered his head and realized it was a little human girl. The Diwata tilted his head to the side, curiously eyeing the child. Then it clicked inside his head. 'Rin' was her name and she appeared to visit. Inuyasha had told him about the cute little human ward of the great terrifying demon lord. How fitting. What a lovely pair! It's simply amazing how fast the ice-lord could melt and be undone by some helpless chick. The Diwata stifled a laugh at that. Then an idea hit him. He let the mirth shine in his eyes when he bent down to help the child back to her feet. "I am sorry to have run you over. I am new around here and I think I just ruined the soup. Maybe I can save it by going through some recipe, but I do not know where the library is. Would you be so kind to give me directions?" he lied smoothly into her face. The little girl took a look at his appearance and nodded. "Of course Rin- no I will help. Come here!" she said with a happy voice took his hand and lead him through the castle. Together they made their way through the castle bypassing those that searched for him. The robe of the working staff, paired with the ward of the lord gave him a shield against any kind of distrust. It was as if he had always been inside the castle, at least it felt like that. The fact that his face was coloured hardly registered in the demons as they ran headless around and almost every second demon now smelled like a pot of roses, allowing him to hide in plain sight.

Sainoarashi was brought out of his musings when the little girl stopped right in front of a huge old oak door. The little girl chirped happily that this was the destination and asked if she could help him with his search. Surprised and a little flattered by the words of the lovely kid he thanked her and went to his knees. Sadly she was not allowed to leave just like that, she had seen him and talked to him for quite a while. And right now it was far too soon for the dog-demon to find out about him and their other little secrets. His hand went up to his head and he plucked the blue rose from his hair and held it in front the child. "Rin, this flower is legendary and was once kept secret by monks in a faraway place. It was said to have a unique ability." the Diwata said and the child got closer in curiously. The older male smiled and breathed into the flower, blowing its pollen directly into the face and eyes of the child. The girl jumped a step back and swiped for a moment at her face. She blinked repeatedly to get rid of the pollen, but after a short moment her movement stilled and her face became void of any emotion. The 'visitor' continued nonchalantly "This flower allows it's carrier to manipulate someone's mind and to give the other a command. And now I want you to forget everything that happened up to this point for the last hour!" The girl blinked. Once. Twice. Suddenly her eyes cleared and she looked confused from one side to the other. "Why am I here?" she asked confused. The Diwata tied the flower back into his hair and bowed to the girl when he said "Thank you Rin, for helping me out. Without you I would probably have searched for the kitchen all day." Kitchen? The girl looked confused at the grateful person, eying the kitchen robe. The older man saw her lost look and grinned at her "Don't tell me you have already forgotten that you have given me directions. Now you should go, I am certain that little princesses have many lessons." Rin jumped at that to her feet and shouted "You are right! I think I am late!" And with that war cry the girl was gone.

The Diwata smiled at the retreating small form. A really sweet kid. Quite a waste for some ice-cold snow-prince. The young man turned to the double door and headed to work.

The morning came and with the coming of the sun the intruder retreated from the upside-down turned castle. With the help from some plants he had moved the precious information out of the window and outside of the castle. After his visit in the library he sneaked into the master bedroom of the castle and went through Sesshomaru's personal things in search. Then before he left he stopped and turned back to the room. With a small flare of his aura he created yet another breed of flower, which climbed along the wall and sprouted lilac blossoms with long petals. The flowers were delicate looking but they were hiding some nasty surprise for the arrogant prick. Saino knew it was petty, but just this once he couldn't help himself. Besides he was not exactly known for his maturity so why bother now? With a last glance at the room the ancient child left the room and returned with his precious cargo. He returned home.

- tbc -

Yet another chapter finished. This one needed a lot of time and patience but it was definitely worth the effort. I like Saino's raid of the castle and would like to know what you think. So remember, keep reviewing.


	14. Chapter 14

I enjoyed reading that you liked the past chapter as much as I did. This chapter might be a little confusing as part of it takes place inside the peoples mindset. While another part of the chapter is happening in the world. I hope it is not too puzzling. So much for the preface, now enjoy what the raid followed!

**Chapter 14: Wind of Changes **

The night had been a great experience and old bonds had been renewed and combined with new threads of fate. Inuyasha was very happy of having both worlds and not having to choose between them. In fact until he passed over the threshold he had been scared for some sort of disaster to happen. Something that would cost him his friends, his past and his companions trust in him. The mere thought had tortured him for quite a long time and was reason enough to steal him many hours of much needed sleep. But now, he could hope and look forward to what would come. His old group had slowly started to accept the new yet old friend and they had listened intently to his experiences with the Diwata and their Familiars. Especially Shippo had made a wonderful audience. In the right moment he had held his breath, the next moment he then kept urging him on to talk and sometimes he asked for more details, if the hanyou kept it to vague for outsiders to understand.

At the end of the night the group had updated each other over what had happened in the last year. Sango and Miroku had started to recruit young men and women alike to join and rebuilt the hunter village. It was a slow process, but the necessary determination and perseverance for such a big project were present. The revival of the slayers was no longer wishful thinking.

Shippo had started to train with various other kitsune so that he could rise in rank in his next trickster-examination. The kittling had even managed to gain some friends and even admirers among his kin. Inuyasha took great pride in his kit and said to his kittling that he was proud of the small child. The kittling beamed at the praise and told the hanyou eagerly that he wished to stay for the next while with the slayers. That he would protect them. The mixed-blood's heart swelled at the words. It was amazing how much the kit had matured since he had been found on the battlefield. The scrawny kid had developed well.

Kagome had not really changed much. At the beginning she had ranted and accused him of things he did not even bother to pretend to listen to. Later she had told him how sorry she was for saying harsh things and then she ended with how glad she was to see him again. Inwardly the half-Diwata groaned at the girl. Constantly having mood-swings cannot be healthy. Or normal for that matter! The conversation that followed had been far more pleasing to his sensitive ears. He learnt about the girl that she and that Habo, Hobo or Hobbit guy had decided to move together. Inuyasha kept to these news his mouth shut tightly but inwardly he made a mental note to congratulate the nut-case to his courage. Hopefully he would survive his relationship with the temperamental girl. Maybe he was even smart enough to not get the crazy chick pregnant. Someone like Kagome should never get under the influence of hormones.

What pleased the hanyou greatly was that the 'outwordly girl' had decided to bring books and materials to medicine from her world to this one. She taught Kaede and her young successor Rin how to use them. Kaede tried hard to understand but had a lot of difficulties to follow the instructions and her handling with the little gadgets was terrible.

Rin for that part stayed asleep for his entire visit. Much to Kotodoki's sorrow. What he learnt about her that night he considered rather sweet. The bouncy kid had decided to follow the slayers to the new village once it was created. The child was still afraid of bandits and felt in a twisted way more comfortable having demons around. So why not move to a village filled to the brim with warriors and demons alike. And hanyous for that matter.

Inuyasha had proposed to contact Jinenji and Shiori later, to have these two and their remaining family to join the new village. Both were powerful, kind, talented and most of all lonely. Shiori would be a great addition to the defensive force of the village while the stag-hanyou's knowledge to medicine and plants surpassed even that of old Kaede. The inu had no doubt in his mind that the gentle giant would have little to no trouble to adapt to Kagome's world's medicine. His suggestion was gladly accepted. Who knew, maybe this village would become the haven for hanyou that Inuyasha had searched all this time when he was a mere puppy.

What surprised him was the path Kouga had decided to venture on. Since mating with Kagome did not work, the wolf-prince had started to woo Ayame, with medium success. When he first approached the red-head she had apparently rammed him straight into the ground, but now they seemed to get along rather well. Inuyasha was impressed. The wolf-demon still had the tendency to storm into the village out of the blue and to disappear just as quickly and unforeseeable. The wild prince had already given his agreement to make an alliance between the wolf-demons and the new slayers.

The night continued with the exchange of information and then they started to determine, what course of action would be wise. The entire group had decided that it would be too dangerous to have Inuyasha's puppies wrecking havoc in the village. As long as Sesshomaru was still roaming the area it was to dangerous for any other inu to be around. Inuyasha had to even promise to everyone to keep a low profile and to visit irregularly to make it more difficult for the demon lord, should he start searching for the mixed-blood. The hanyou himself had decided this night to use his powers to provide for both villages and to create certain plants to protect the slayers village as well as the wolf dens. He also had decided to visit from this point on once every week, if his time allowed it. He wanted to help with the restoration of the village, to gather some demonic material for the slayers and to chat. The mixed-blood wished he could come more often, especially now that there was the chance to see the little bat-girl as well as the stag-hanyou again, but his little ones wouldn't allow him too much time for himself. At least not currently. The little bundles of energy had inherited his talent for attraction of trouble and sometimes the hanyou didn't dare to turn his back to them out of fear of what they would do this time.

Lady Shioshiso and her daughter Kotodoki had been surprisingly silent for the remaining night. The pink-eyed females had understood what this evening meant to the hanyou and no matter how much they wished to be selfish when it came to him, this time they accepted his need for his companions and this world. For that Diwata-untypical behaviour the hanyou felt great gratitude towards the proud females. In fact the two ladies only put in their word if they had suggestions or questions to the projects to come.

It had been indeed a great night.

When Inuyasha had returned he was glad to see that for once his pups had decided to stay put and to behave themselves. He played a little with them before he had to put them down for a nap.

Now, he stood right in front of Sainoarashi's library. Aring, as so often was to his left. Both of them, or better said Inuyasha was stared into the ground by an irate flower-Familiar. The grey-coloured man was pointedly ignored. Accusing glares rained upon the hanyou and the youngster wondered exactly how many millennia it would take for the flower to forgive him for stepping onto his root. The green-skinned male with the pinkish petals kept his death glare firmly planted in his face for the greeting and did not bother to greet Aring as his entire focus was on the 'oafish'. The silver-haired male rolled inwardly his eyes and just went past the flower. The fog-Familar followed his example while muttering to the green-skinned male that he should get over that ridiculous incident. Inuyasha could not agree more. This flower took the word 'unforgiving' to a new high.

The two males went past many corridors, decorated with countless scrolls and paintings in black and white, till they found the book-worm in his library. Or better until Inuyasha smelled that foul stench of roses. He placed his sleeve over his nose in shock and went to the source of the odour. The origin of the 'smell of death' was a happy Sainoarashi, blanketed with dozens of scrolls and books which he studied intently. The entire desk, the surrounding floor of said desk and all chairs were covered in white and black. It looked like it was part of the style of the mansion. Inuyasha had the sudden realizations that he now knew why the familiar had such a strange taste in style, it gave the sage the option to spread chaos but to keep it look natural.

Aring grinned at the picture the Diwata presented. Inuyasha on the other hand surveyed the chaos and realized that the short-haired male had already started to make some copies of the scripts he found worthy of passing on. He even made out some piles which were probably sorted. How the crazy guy could look through the mess the hanyou would probably never know.

The hanyou greeted "Good morning Saino. I see you were more than successful last night. But please tell us, why do you smell so bad?! This stench is one of the worst I have ever come across. And another question, what exactly are you wearing?" the half-blood finished curiously.

The Diwata lifted finally his head and smirked at his guests. "It was about time you showed up! First of all to you good morning as well!" the sage gave a polite nod than turned one of his open palm to the desk as he continued "You have seen right my friend. Yes, my raid was very fruitful and I finally had the chance to get rid of some built-up stress. As for the smell and the odd clothing … well, these were part of my cover while I enjoyed myself in the dog-demon castle. But now enough with the pribble-prabble, come over and look at what I've found!" the older man said with childish glee.

The two guests followed the invitation and Aring said with dark amusement "The great lord of the west probably had quite a fit, when he realized that you have taken half his library. To bad that we couldn't see his expression when he realized what had happened." Inuyasha's gaze went to his partner by that statement. For as long as he knew the fog-sprite held deep resentment against his half-brother. It felt like having another furious flower at your neck. At least this one was not against him, but the silver beauty couldn't help but wonder what would happen if these two would ever run into each other.

The train of thought was interrupted when the sage started to laugh merrily "I do not doubt that he will be angry for me lending some of his scrolls, but I can assure you my friends that he will likely only realize what we were after by the coming days. I was very thorough by turning that place hell. The entire castle was redecorated, completely covered in new scents and half of his staff is probably still entangled in thorny vines. Not to mention the surprise I planted in the lord's own private chamber. Yes, oh yes, he will be furious without comparison!" and the Diwata doubled over in laughter and his guests joined him. The mixed-blood imagined how his stoic brother would freak once he saw his territory. Ah, what a picture!

- At the western castle -

The lord of the west strode with long steps through what was left of his chamber. His eyes twitched and his mouth was nothing but a thin line. The lord was close to explode. A single intruder, had in a single night overrun his castle. He had messed with his subordinates, stolen from him and to top it all off he had turned his chamber into a personal torture cellar! The tall demon glided over the broken items of his room, the ripped carpets and sheets and stalked to his balcony, a crumbled notice in his hand. His amber eyes shone with rage and confusion. It was a state the lord was not fond of and as he watched the night he pondered over what had transpired not so long ago.

For the past months things had started to collapse around him. First the nature-incident, that had somehow corrected from one moment to the last. The incident was directly tied to the witch and the nightmare that happened at the investigation, of which he still remembered naught. Later he met some unusual child that led to some crazy chase across his lands. In said hunting session his proof against the panther demons was stolen right from his hand and he was left with an overly emotional little child!

Then there were these other … conditions that seemed just to pop up out of nowhere. For quite a while now he was tortured by a nagging feeling of emptiness. It was as if something was missing. That something was wrong. The feeling grew as time passed and the celestial dog could not help but dread the idea of it growing with no limitation. He did not know what it was, but when he left his instincts free reign he could feel it search. Even when he felt deeply asleep his instincts would rose and continue to search. It searched confused with all senses. For what he did not know. No one knew, not even his primal self that was responsible for the dreaded loss of control.

He had taken this matter to his trusted healer the Ibis-demoness, who also attended his council. She had run some tests and suggested afterwards, that it might be time for him to take a mate, as there was nothing physically wrong with his body. She added further that there must be some matching demon close by, if his instincts were searching this actively for said person. In the beginning he had been insulted, but when he thought about it more logically, it might indeed be time to take a mate. Generally demons started to search for their partners at the age of four or five hundred years. His forth century had long since past and he had never even bothered to look for his other half. Why should he? There had never been anyone around who was worthy of him. That said the demon lord and his healer had decided to go to an annual meeting in which high classed demons tended to search for possible partners, or to create new alliances or trade routes.

He had decided to take part in this year annual meeting that lasted an entire week and had ended just the previous night. It was like he remembered it: Pompous fools throwing their bodies in his face, greedy pieces of slime trying to coax him into trade and everyone praising what little they owned. But there had been a development he had not been aware of. What had surprised the dog-demon had been that even some hanyous had joined the event. All of them belonged to some demonic family that had unlike him accepted the children right at birth. Apparently having a powerful spider-hanyou running amok in the lands had been proof enough, that mixed-bloods were indeed as powerful as most demons. The fact that it was another mixed-blood that determinates the vile beast, while most of the 'noble demons' had to go into hiding had been another eye-opener. The lord had mangled with the mass but his search for a possible mate had been futile. His instincts did not credit an ounce of attention to any of the bodies piling in front of him. At least he could take comfort in managing to gain some new ground in the business sector. So he could chalk up his visit as a small victory as it had not been a total waste of time.

So when he returned and was greeted with the rotting scent of roses, he was baffled. It was not only the scent, but also what he saw even from afar. His once white castle was partly covered by thick black weed. The flora had infiltrated his castle and claimed it brutally, with its aggressive nature and scent. The source of the smell had taken many of his staff and soldiers captive and had rooted itself deeply in the stone of his castle. The noise from those that ran headless from one place to the next had been deafening. Nobody knew what was going on, or where there should turn to. When he entered what was left of his once sparkling and perfect hideout, the staff and guards looked at him in both fear for his temper, as well as in hope for his support. With his poisonous claws he had melted the gigantic rose bush, while giving multiple orders at his hurrying audience. Most of the damage was not severe but the smell left behind was like a slap to the face. It would take at least a week of aeration to get rid of the stench. The repairs would be done in no time once the weed was removed from his property.

The next discovery was made in his library where a dozen shelves had been emptied down to the last book. What had surprised the lord was that many of these documents occupied customs and etiquette in the demonic society. Not exactly a topic thieves normally took joy in.

The last surprise sprang itself at him in his private room. The outspread plants that greeted him here had also been some kind of vines, but the blossoms were hidden within the shadows. He had not really paid much attention to them, because his eyes fell on his rummaged through desk. When he strode to the torn furniture a sharp small needle was shot at him from the edge of the desk. His eyes darted in the direction where the small item came from and he saw one of the elusive blossoms, hidden partly in the shadow. The flower-cup looked funnel-shaped, delicate and with it's soft violet colouring downright beautiful. It also appeared to be deadly poisonous for that matter. Shortly after the impact into his body the needle spread its acid in his veins. It burnt badly and stung even worse. The demon yanked at the needle and forced it out of his flesh – only to get shot by another flower he had not seen a small distance to his left. The lord was definitely not amused. As a Daiyokai he knew when poisons became dangerous and what was considered deadly. A single of these small needles could easily kill a human or a lower demon for that matter. But him, the master of poison? Never! Sesshomaru realized immediately that this trap was not meant to kill, it was to annoy him. To give some fool the pleasure to know that he had bested the Lord of the West. The demon growled and calmly took the offending prick from his body. His eyes wandered through his 'overgrown' room and calculated just how many of these poison-spewing pests were around. Having been shot twice was not a danger to his person, but if he were to be shot by dozens or hundreds of these lilac monsters even he would be in a dire situation. After a quick scan he counted about two dozen floral-assassins scattered in his room. With a quick step he rushed with his amazing speed from wall to wall dodging needles and falling items as he ripped the veins from his property. The silent battle only lasted a minute but went on long enough to decorate the fuming inu with four additional needles. In rage the proud man ripped them out of his skin and strode to his desk.

Yes, here as well. Certain books were missing along with some of his personal records. A small piece of paper caught with its foreign handwriting his attention. The demon grabbed it and lifted it to his nose to determine who had left it. To his surprise it was covered in the thick scent of the flowers, so it was a message from the intruder. Intrigued the lord spread it and started to read it silently

_Dear 'Lord on the Rose', _

_I am well aware that you have lost something precious. Something invaluable. A treasure that is currently in our possession. _

_You do not remember what you have found and lost. And you are unable to recall the event that occurred at mountain Kengamine. A sad truth but maybe it was necessary. _

_Unfortunately I cannot return said treasure to you as I, no WE, have taken a great liking to it. And we have decided to claim it as ours. It is kind of ironic that you my Lord had a treasure you had no knowledge of and now you are suffering from its loss, without knowing what it is. How does it feel to be driven by your inner self to search yet knowing said search will be fruitless? _

_But there is more. As you have probably realized by now, we helped ourselves with your vast knowledge. We can assure you that we shall return what we had to lend. You may expect each full moon some of your documents. _

_I assume you wish me to explain as to why we were in need of said wisdom. It would be boring to foretell what will come but I shall give you one warning: We shall meet in the future. You only have this one opportunity to win your treasure back! _

_Heed this warning well, it is the last!_

_Yours dearly_

_**D**_

The lord stood stunned in his study. So his instincts were right all this time. Something had been taken from him. He lowered the notice and pondered what was written to him this disrespectfully. Someone who called himself 'D' had infiltrated his castle to gather knowledge and to inform him, that he was aware of what has happened in these black moments of his. He needed to find out who it was. They said they would return! And the lord would wait eagerly for this day!

- tbc –

A confusing chapter, but fulfilling nonetheless. Some of you probably wonder why I made Jinenji a deer-hanyou. Well, each demon belongs to some sort of animal race and I thought about a gentle and shy forest animal, which hardly fought even when confronted with death. So I ended up with the deer. Hope you agree in this part.

I also hope you enjoyed Sesshomaru's reaction. Many of you had been curious of how it would turn out or what Saino had planted in his room. Now that you know what it was, how did you like it?

By the way the alp Kengamine lies in the mountains range Ontake. So it is no fiction.

Another question to you, has my English improved a little? In the beginning you had written that it was very obvious that this language was not native tongue.


	15. Chapter 15

Some of you mentioned that Inu was acting rather cruel to his brother; personally I think he is far too lenient with him. I would be rather unforgiving if someone treated me the way Sess treated his brother over a very long period of time.

Another new chapter for you lot. You know it feels great to write if people with good taste enjoy your work. Sorry if it took a little longer than usual, but my work keeps me busy.

**Chapter 15: Reunion of the Brothers**

Seven years passed. Seven years of steady changes and new developments. The hunters had been successful with the rebuilt of the Slayer village and many had come to join the forces or to try their luck in a new town. A small town in which hanyou, demons and spirits tended to visit and to live. In the beginning many people were scared of such an 'unholy place', but most overcame their fear of the unknown. The head of the village became Sango, as she was best hunter and she had experience dealing with supervising. Her father would have been proud to see that his daughter had put on his shoes. Even the fact that she had managed to give birth to two more children did not take her bite from the female. It probably made her even more determined and dangerous on the battlefield.

The monk had stayed by her side and miraculously did no longer try to flirt with other woman. Maybe it was out of fear of his wife, but only the results counted after all. Miroku trained various people and worked also as diplomat, if outsiders wanted an audience. If not audiences he had made himself a name in trade dealings. His silvery tongue worked wonders in trade business.

Rin stayed true to her word. As soon as the first hut stood shakily in place the girl was ready and in. She was there from the beginning to now. The little girl from back then had disappeared and in her place was a young lady who brightened the day of those who were lucky enough to be around her. The energetic woman had joined forces with Kaede, Jinenji and various other demons as well as humans to form a great clinic. Their abilities caused the spreading of various rumours and many sick had decided to come to let themselves be treated. But for all her open personality she was still wary of humans, she preferred demonic company and the chance of her being one day mated to one was almost certain. Especially Shippo was part of her circle of friends. It was a little sad to know that he would always be too young to claim the girl, but nevertheless he stood proudly by her side.

Kagome rarely returned to the slayers, as she had her own life, husband and child at home. The head-strong girl had become a woman, who took no compromise if she thought it to dangerous. She was in all senses of the word beautiful, but neither weak nor frail. Inuyasha was glad to see that she had developed so well. In the beginning he still visited her quite often just to make certain she did not ruin herself (or those around her). But now it was no longer necessary. Besides he was pretty certain that Hojo did not enjoy seeing him all those moonless nights.

The wolf-prince Kouga had indeed formed an alliance with the slayers. His pack had grown a little. There were not as much wolfs as there had been in the past, but all of them worked hard and had outdone their successors in terms of will, courage and tactics. In fact Kouga was on his way to outdo his father. The demon had mated Ayame, but as expected the offspring would have to wait a little longer. It was a fact that demons took far longer for reproduction than humans, but at least these two were not the only ones who had to wait for nature to do her way.

Inuyasha had kept to his words. His territory bloomed under his care. And particularly the wolfs den, as well as the new Slayer village had profited from his attention. His work was well enough to make people start to think that nature herself had decided to side with the prospering den and town. What most people did not realize was that in a way nature did side with these communities. No one that was in his right mind dared to attack at certain times or in some ways, as the outcome was always death. From vicious trees to blood-thirsty weed was every kind of plant-guardian imaginable and always on duty. Some of his stronger creation had started to walk and patrol, making some people deeply scared if they were ever spotted.

The hanyou opened his eyes from his mediating. Today had been fruitful and his lands flourished. The mixed-blood stretched out and got the cramps out of his body. Today would be another moonless night and he had every intention to take his plan to the next level. Eight years of waiting and hiding would come to an end. This night he would confront his past tormenter and try to find some common ground for them.

Inuyasha got to his feet and with swift steps he went into his not so little garden. The sun was about to set and her last remaining light turned the contour of the plants into pieces of art, making them gleam in the light and turned the growing shadows into figures from the world of dream. The half-blood loved these moments the most. He had always cherished the beauty of nature and his admiration had only grown after being connected to her.

His eyes scanned the wild beauty of his garden in search for his young. He could smell them close by, but obviously they had paid attention at the lessons he had given them. All of them were not easy to locate. The mixed-blood smirked as he went deeper into the garden. His ears swivelled in all directions trying to listen even to the faintest rustling of leaves. Then he heard it. A snapping twig. He continued forward with small movements. Suddenly something long hissed towards his legs. The hanyou sidestepped it and saw that it was the energy whip of his daughter. The whip lashed out once more, this time aiming for his middle. The hanyou called upon his power and created a nut like plant as a shield to deflect the attack and went straight into the direction where it came from. As he went towards a blooming bush a silvery-red blur raced towards him. With a swift flick of his hand he had the tiny pup restrained with her small hands above her head. The little girl gave an astonished growl and tried to loosen his hold by trashing.

The moment he finally held his daughter firmly, he felt another aura dart towards him from behind. Swiftly he threw his daughter up, causing her to yelp in surprise and grabbed with both hands the white haired boy that had tried to swipe at his back. He tucked him under his arm and caught his falling daughter before she hit the ground. "Nice try pups, but you have to try to fight more in a team. Now Chiheisenmaru, you are the last one left, what are going to do?" the inu asked holding the two younger with one hand. As answer big branches were cut loose and rained down onto the hanyou who swiped them away. In the storm of foliage another silvery blur raced towards the arm were the other two hung and tried to punch his shoulder. The hanyou saw the action and jumped over the puppy. The young one stopped his assault and turned tail to go back for cover, but never made it back as Heis, just like his siblings was dangling in the air. A clawed hand closed securely around the scruff of his neck.

The hanyou laughed loudly as he sat down and placed all three onto his lap "Good thinking Heis. Draw your advantage from everything you can! You three did well, even with my sensitive hearing I could not locate you until the last moment" The half-inu looked approvingly at his pups and squeezed them to his chest, before putting them down. "Today we will have to skip the training session, as all of us will travel to our territory. Tonight we will meet my brother, your other father." the mixed-blood said, while eyeing his children. He watched each one of them like it was back then when he held them for the first time. It was difficult to imagine that time really had flown by so fast.

The three helpless puppies he had given birth to had grown a lot. Each one of them was unique, but all of them had some commonalities. Each of them had about shoulder length hair, while Gins was straight, whereas the other two had subtle curls. Another similarity they all shared was the fact that all of them could transform to a giant-puppy the size of a normal horse. All three of them looked like five year old, although they had just recently turned seven. Inuyasha was not surprised by the age, like some of the Diwata were. He knew that demons and hanyous alike aged like humans until their fifth birthday and only then did they start to age at a normal demonic rate.

Gin'no'niji laughed openly at his words "When did he find out we lived Papa? Last time I checked he didn't know anything about us, the city or Papa." The bouncy pup straightened himself and tried to look tall as his eyes searched in his fathers face for truth or yet another joke. Gin had filled out nicely from the small bundle he had been. His built was similar to Inuyashas when he was young, but he was taller and he was all smiles and laughter. Curiously, this pup did not even stop smiling on the battlefield. The smile just turned sickly sweet whenever he was engaged in battle, or when he was very angry. That treat probably developed because he loved to taunt and tease others in battle and outside from it, he had to make do with pranks. If not pranks, the puppy would cause some other type of commotion to get some fun. The hanyou had long since learned that this pup was also an expert in begging for treats. With his big innocent eyes he gave the term 'puppy eyes' a whole new meaning. The youngest of the siblings continued to ramble about trivial things but was interrupted by-

"What has other father done, to earn seeing us?" a female voice snapped. The little girl who could not contain her outburst was seething. She was eye to eye with her siblings and at least as head-strong as Inuyasha. She had big round eyes with a star-like mark in a deep scarlet tone in the corner of each of them, matching her light-red robe. Her face was a little longer than her brothers and she often showed a fierce sense of justice. But for all her fairness and control, at many occasions the kind and calm girl seemed to explode with her temper causing sometimes amusing scenes to those who watched. Otherwise she was like any child, very playful and in possession of a huge sweet-tooth that only rivalled to her brothers. She could not make 'puppy-eyes' like her brother, but she had learned to make adorable pouts which made others feel guilty when they denied one of her wishes. A fearsome weapon for such a small child, Inuyasha decided. It was the main reason why his daughter had turned out to be quite the spoilt princess.

Her temper was cooled of by Chiheisenmaru who simply said "Papa decides. If Papa says we go, then we go and we talk with father." That was Heis: to the point, honest and very open. Normally the puppy was silent and trailed somewhere after his siblings, but whenever something needed to be discussed he had the last word under the siblings. His face was as round as his brothers, but the narrowed eyes showed a lot of similarity with Sesshomarus. And just like the ice-lord, Heis had managed to look aloof whenever he dealt with people of power, or when he did not want to show emotion. His mask still slipped but in a not so far future, he would rival the demon lord. The composed child often stood in the shadows and enjoyed to see the changes going around him. He loved secrets and often tried to eardrop on the people around him. A bad habit that people had started to accept reluctantly.

Inuyasha nodded at Heis words and declared "That's right. I decide. You have the right to meet your other father and to know who he is. Right now, you may not really care, but maybe some day in the future, you wish to have this knowledge." The hanyou paused taking in the sulking face of his two youngest, before he continued "I do not intend to take the privilege to see his 'blood' from Sesshomaru. I know you are all aware of the relationship the two of us shared in the past - thanks to Saino's loose mouth." the hanyou added with gritted fangs. "Yet I want all of you to really see him, not the figure of nightmare that he had been in the past. Do not act on prejudice as he did in the past. I have taught you better."

The puppies gave soft agreeing noises and the hanyou smiled brightly at the children "Now, get ready in fifteen minutes, we are leaving. And before we see the ice-lord himself I want you three to meet my friends." The puppies had big eyes at the announcement and jumped of his lap and hurried down the hallways to get whatever they thought was important. Inuyasha grinned inwardly at the picture Shippo and Rin would make once these two were showered by candies, which were without a doubt considered important by his pups. He gave a soft laugh then stood up and gathered his supplies. He would need them later when he greeted his brother.

About half an hour later the hanyou strode through the forest that bore his name, three active children strolling around him. The mixed-blood sometimes pointed at a plant or an animal and asked the small children what it was and what they could tell him about it. Heis answered most of his questions, but the other two did not slack off either. After the short instructive walk, night had finally set. The ears of the hanyou turned to human ears and his hair darkened till it had the pitch-black colour of the other Diwata and his eyes took on the deep violet shade which he had loved so much from his mother. The puppies were always mesmerized by his change and even had asked him to change them as well; the moment had been both hurtful and soothing. He was glad they liked his other form, but to tell them that they could not turn to this form made him feel kind of guilty. It felt wrong for father and children to both have two completely unrelated forms, which cold not be attained by the other. This time, like so often he saw the golden eyes glued to his changing body. He ushered them on and after a small eternity they reached the edge of the forest, which bordered onto the new slayer village. The puppies made soft gasp-like sounds and the hanyou had to remind them to not wander off until he had introduced them to his friends.

They walked together through the busy village. Even though sun had set the village was always full of activity. Merchants stocked up their small stores and warehouses, the first drunks were already swaying along the road and demons, ignoring the lack of light, kept working on whatever they were doing. Children were absent from the picture, the moment the light of the day faded. Maybe that was partly the reason why the hanyou and the three pups caught so much attention as they strode through the village. The curious gazes and the soft whispers trailing after the small group were quite difficult to ignore. Perhaps it was due to the fact that most inhabitants of the village had never seen him in his human-like form and none had ever seen his offspring apart from the Diwata. Anyway it did not matter to the inu-family as they headed to the head of the village. With all the gossip flying over his head Inuyasha was not really surprised to see his friends standing in front of their small new mansion. The new residence surprised the mixed-blood but he did not dwell over the other two's business. He climbed the stairs to their small terrace and greeted the couple "Well, good evening you two lovebirds. I see your shed has grown since my last visit. I guess it is needed with your crowds of children."

Sango smiled and replied with a soft laugh "Good evening Inuyasha, we already feared you wouldn't come. You are right things have changed since your last stay. Just like our home. The new rooms were needed badly, but judging by the children behind you; I can tell that you are in dire need of space as well. Well now please come in, before the entire neighbourhood starts to gather in front of our house to catch a glimpse of the puppies." At these words the hanyou extended his senses and she was right, they were many curious eyes and ears following every small nothing of the former co-hunters. The half-blood growled low at the onlooker and went into the new home of his friends, his pups following with big eyes.

Inside the inus were already expected from Kaede and Rin. Shippo was also present, but that did not surprise the half-inu – for as long as Rin is not married Shippo was her trusted shadow. Kirara was lying in front of the fire with her head lifted and she meowed softly in greeting. Inuyasha grinned at his old friends and barked happily "What are ya are doing here? Last time I checked all of you had their own place, or did ya all miss me that badly?"

Kaede rasped out hoarsely "As hard as it to believe. These old ears missed yer voice, lad. It is good to see and of course hear ye once more." The old miko had lost weight and some of her vitality, but her eye was wide open and gleamed with knowledge. She gave the youngster a small nod in greeting and her gaze shifted curiously to the boy's litter, which was partly hiding by crowding behind the fathers legs.

Shippo and Rin greeted the small family with much enthusiasm. Both were waving and shouting at the same time. It was funny to see the young woman and the kittling being so much alike but it felt natural and inwardly the hanyou found the duo cute. In the end it was Shippo who won their verbal battle for attention by a putting his foot down "You are late! We had decided to wait with the food until you and the smaller ones arrive, now most is probably cold." The kit sounded strangely both: delighted and sulking. Inuyasha hadn't even known it was physically possible to express such a mix of emotion. The youngsters could smell the food next door and his eyes followed his nose as he asked for what there were waiting then, with him and the children having arrived.

The former-pervert entered the room and said with mirth "It would be a shame to throw all the good food away, which had taken my lovely wife so long to prepare. Now that our ever hungry stray has returned to us, we can finally dig in. So up you guys, it is time to eat!" Then he glanced at the old human and asked her "Kaede do you want help along the way?" The old miko immediately shot his question down with the remark that she was fine and that he should watch all the children. The monk just laughed and replied that they were luckily tired.

The unusual group followed their noses and were rewarded by the sight of a richly decked out round-table with many cushions lying around it. The inu-children leaped at the cushions in front of the low table. Close behind them Inuyasha saw Rin and Shippo jump at the pillows. The guests complimented the feast and waited for Sango and the two other children as well as the twins to take their seat. Once it began it was a loud affair with two toddlers, four demonic children, two human children, a hyperactive young woman, three stressed out parents and an old lady, who took great amusement from watching the others antics.

Somewhere in the meal Inuyasha found some time to get to talk with Miroku next to him – Sango listening intently to their conversation. Along the chat the hanyou asked "Would you mind keeping the triplets here for a moment? I will talk tonight with Sesshomaru. If I think it is safe, I will bring him here to meet my pups. Normally I wouldn't involve you in my mess, but with Rin close by and within a village I doubt he will get overly violent or openly hostile."

Sango leaned over and placed her hand on his clawed one when she said "Of course we will watch them in the meantime. You don't have to ask and you definitely don't have to feel bad about this. Helping a friend out of a tight spot is what friends do, right?" The monk nodded in agreement to the words of his wife and asked afterwards, when the hanyou had intended to leave.

"As soon as my children fall asleep. It shoudn't take too long now. After dinner they always nap." the hanyou muttered to his friends, his eyes glued to his youngest who already started to rub his eyes.

And the hanyou's predication was true. About half an hour later his children were out cold and tucked in together in a guest room. The mixed-blood lifted the small bag to his shoulder and informed his friends of his departure. Then he left the warm light of the hut and leaped into the night. As he raced by the huts and people he could feel his heart start to beat. The strong pounding in his chest was soon the only sound left in darkness as he dove through the woods. It was so dark that with his weakened eyes he could hardly see trees in front of him, but he had no need for his eyes. He felt the presences of the surrounding nature and his keen instincts warned him whenever he felt something dangerous lurking close by. His movements had changed from his normal form, there were not as swift as they were normally, but he compensated by more endurance and fidelity. The necessary energy was given freely by the plants he passed. They recognized their guardian and welcomed him by sending soft auras all around him, making the young man smile at the gentle and humble beings reaction.

His sprint only lasted half an hour before he broke out of the forest and ventured onto a small hill basked only in light of the stars. A single old oak stood half defoliated summit of the small rise. With moonlight it would look graceful, now it just seemed kind of sad and gave of a feeling of loneliness. Each month the Diwata had laid the 'lent' books and parchments at the roots of the old plant. In the beginning the Daiyokai had been informed of the location of his to be returning scrolls and now after seven years he had found in place of a book a message with green letters pinned to the tree. It had stated for the lord to come and get the last message personally from their representative. Inuyasha gracefully jumped into the tree, putting the bag into his lap and scanned the area. Apparently he was too early, or maybe his brother stood somewhere in the bushes watching his movements. The mixed-blood lifted an eyebrow at the unusual behaviour of his brother. The Lord of the West was never late and he had no need for hiding, so maybe he wanted an official invitation? The mixed-blood smirked and his eyes lidded as he lifted his head to the dark sky and gave a deep melodious howl in the night.

The plant life surrounding the hanyou gleamed and glowed at his call, ready to be at his service and a greenish hue rushed from the mixed-blood over the surrounding trees and grass into the distance. For a moment the night was lit by the green light emitting from the usually unobtrusive beings, turning reality into a dream-like image.

"Impressive, I was not aware that thieves could create a scenario such as this. This Sesshomaru did not anticipate meeting anyone tonight. You definitely have courage to face a Daiyokai on your own. In Particular after what your comrade has done." The cool and silky voice made the hanyou snap his eyes open and tilt his face to the demon lord strolling leisurely towards his tree. Well, who would have thought, he did want an invitation.

Inuyasha turned himself fully around at a slow pace and barked loudly "Well good evening to you as well asshole! Your're late!"

Sesshomaru stilled and Inuyasha saw for the first time the older one with surprise clearly written over his face. Oddly enough the open look reminded him of their daughter. The mixed-blood was yanked out of this thoughts by the demons voice "Inuyasha?! Why are you here and what was that light? And why pray tell are you parading yourself around in this feeble form?!"

Inuyasha gave a laugh "Charming as always, brother. I had already feared you had forgotten all about me or changed yourself. But seriously we don't see each other for years and these are your first questions. Keh, talk about cold-hearted." The hanyou scoffed the last part as he dug his hand into the bag and pulled a medal and an old book from its depth. Then he turned his head to the Daiyokai and jumped right in front of him "Here Sesshomaru, the medal and this book are yours, it's about time you get them back." With that he handed the demons both items and took some steps back, in the direction of the oak.

The demon lord eyed the items in disbelief. It was the last missing piece of his library and he remembered the medal with the pawn printed in the surface. He raised his head and eyed the other warily. "Why do you have these objects, hanyou?" his cold voice murmured. The words floated almost inaudible in the air, but were heard nonetheless.

"These were given to me. And yes, I do know who there are and why they took these from you. … Are you interested in my story?" Inuyasha asked as he stood with his back to the demon, halfway from his brother to the tree. He turned his head slightly and looked with a closed expression over his shoulder at the inu-lord.

The Daiyokai stilled. His eyes roamed over the figure in front of him. He had not seen the other for years, but somehow it felt like he had been gone for centuries. After the spider-beasts demise the demon lord had no challenge. There was no one left in these lands that he could spar with. In fact the inu-lord had even patrolled more often around the younger's forest in hope to coax him with his presence into a fight. Now they were facing each other once again. Yet, the young man in front of him was different than the one from his memory. Physically he was the same. The body was just groomed and clad in a colourful robe. But it was his behaviour and his eyes that hinted to change. His greeting had been crude and blunt just like the old Inuyasha would have 'welcomed him', but now he spoke differently. Even his movements were different from back then, now the hanyou seemed to prance with each turn and shift, no matter how small it was. The tight, yet loose robe completed the alien look of his little brother. The demon lord could not help himself he felt intrigued by what he saw and heard.

But what really caught his attention was his own instinct. It was calm. For the first time in years his instinct was not screaming and tearing inside of him. The feeling of wrongness and the restlessness, they were simply gone. From one moment to the next the grating urge to search had vanished almost completely. The Daiyokai did not understand what was happening and for someone like him, such a situation was not acceptable.

Sesshomaru gave the younger inu his positive reply by saying "Very well half-breed. This Sesshomaru shall listen to your story. Now begin!"

The half-blood laughed openly at the others order "You can't be serious. Here?! Of all places you wish to discuss explosive information where every imp and tramp can hear us?! Surely you jest!" The temporary dark-haired man shifted his balance then walked towards the older man and looked him in the eye as he said "If you really wish to understand what is happening around you, you will come along to the Slayer Village. Once we are behind closed doors you will comprehend exactly what you have missed. Now let us go, … you do remember the location of it, don't you?"

Cold gold clashed with deep violet and the Daiyokai felt his instinct stir. For some odd reason he wanted to touch the youth in front of him. Confused beyond belief the older backed up and said distractedly "Obviously this Sesshomaru is aware of the location of his wards village. Let us leave." Then he turned and walked with long steps, the younger followed him at a quick pace. They travelled in silence and besides some exchanged glances nothing happened. The entire time both of them were waiting for something, but none of them could put their finger on it. So the silence stretched until they reached the border of the village. By the time the brothers made it into the village the sun had risen and the night-black hair of the younger had blended into his typical silvery-white. As both made their way to the biggest house in the village the demon lord could faintly pick up the scent of other inus. And oddly enough they smelled strongly of his brother. The demon looked at the younger and Inuyasha just grinned cockily and whispered "What's wrong? Don't tell me you are afraid of … changes?" Sesshomaru ignored the ridiculous question and walked regally through the gaping mass that had started to line up at the road.

'Afraid', the demon snorted softly in disgust. How could someone like him be afraid of anything? And what did that lateral thinker mean with 'changes'? The Daiyokai did not like the sound of the word. To add to the frustrating puzzle that was his brother there came that other scent of inus that seemed to come closer with each step. The brothers were besides Sesshomarus's mother the last Shiro Inus in these lands. The very last Celestial Dogs possibly in the entire world. So were did these scents come from and why did they make him so anxious?!

The moment he stepped over the door step of the head of the village he was greeted with the strained and nervous expressions of Inuyasha's former pack. Rin was also there and showered him with meaningless but endearing banter. The hanyou shooed the girl away for the moment and piloted him through the house until they stood in front of a glide-door. The mixed-blood placed a hand on it and said sternly and with promise of retribution in his eyes "In this room, you will not say a single word or you will ruin yourself something you might regret in the future. You will take a look and then we will talk outside of it. Be careful, this is IMPORTANT!"

The demon hummed in agreement and the hanyou opened the door carefully. The interior war humble yet clean and neat, but it was not the room itself that caught the Daiyokais attention. He took a few steps inside to be able to scan the entire room, and especially the futon. On the futon he saw three small beautiful white-haired children. Celestial dogs. Two males and a female. All of them slept peaceful cuddled into each other. Their smell filled the room. The demon stopped breathing as something hit him with dawning horror. They were Inuyasha's without a doubt. The puppies were coated from head to toe in his scent, but there was also another scent. One he knew better than any other in the world. It was his own. It was faint, but the scent was there, taunting him. Sesshomaru could feel his jaw go slack, but he hardly cared. Right now, he had other worries than his exterior. He had pups. _Pups_. The word repeated itself in his mind and he felt his mind go blank. A hand on his back pulled him back and shoved him down the hallway, away from the slumbering children. His children.

He was pushed down onto a cushion and his eyes stared at nothing as he tried to compose himself. He asked a single word "How …?" Inuyasha sat down opposite of him and poured the demon and himself a cup of tea, from the can standing close by. It was cold but more than welcome. The mixed-blood began "You are probably as shocked as I was when I was told that I was pregnant with them, so I doubt you will remember much of this conversation. I will give you the short version for now: In the mountain Kengamine about eight years ago I hunted a witch named Sheema - at least I think it was her name. She worked with you. I do not know why you allied yourself with her or what exactly transpired at the mountain, but I can tell you that we ended up fighting her. As she was about to loose her life to us, she used a potion that made our instincts run riot. You can probably imagine what happened between us. A man brought me out of that cave before you woke up and he sealed our memories. His name is Aring and he kidnapped me months later and stole your medal. Now the same man is my retainer. He knew I was left with children after our encounter and he and the others feared for me. That is why I was unable to return for about two years. Later I made my own decision; I stayed with my people and have raised my children up to this day alone. But I want them to know you, that is why I made certain that you would come along tonight."

Sesshomaru's brisk mind processed what was told to him and he felt anger bubbling in him. Resentment grew in him at the responsible traitor-witch; anger at this man Aring, who was responsible for his memory loss and he felt riled up when he looked at his brother for keeping such information from him. He was so livid it was already bordering on pain. The demon lord could feel a major headache start to throb behind his temple. He had no right! They were his children. How could he keep them to himself? With much effort he forced his emotion under control and brought the next words out slow and clearly "Why was I not told up to today? Why did you keep them from me?"

Inuyasha looked at him with determined and wise eyes, that did not match with his young face and said loud and clearly "Because I love them, Sesshomaru. I love them more than anything else in the world and I will face and challenge anything and anyone that harms them. Be it you or the goddess of fate herself. I will take no risks if my pups are involved. I will not let you kill them!" the hanyou finished in a hissed whisper that felt like the Nordic winds. Cold. Unforgiving and inevitable. These were no empty words. The hanyou was serious. The consequences were graspable, as well as the fact that the half-blood believed the other father to be possibly lethal to their children.

The demon lord lost for a moment his rage to the feeling of surprise and shock. "Why should this Sesshomaru harm his own children?! I would never harm my blood-"

"But of course, Sesshomaru. You as a noble demon lord would never hunt your defenceless kin for no reason other than your own fucked up entertainment!" The younger inu interrupted his voice dripping with sarcasm. The hanyou had started to growl as his eyes narrowed "May I remind you that sharing blood has never bothered you before when you tortured me? Blood has never before been a symbol of any kind of relationship to you. Don't tell me you have already forgotten, oh mighty lord?!" While enhancing in his rant the mixed-blood had leaned over and had not breathed. Now the hanyou took a deep breath to calm himself down and leaned back in the cushion to cool his head off. He continued with a low voice, but this time it was not hostile as he spoke "Do not misunderstand, Sesshomaru. I may not like it but you are their other father. Right now, they do not really care that they have another parent, but in the future, when they might care, I want them to have their other father. To make it simple: To ensure the happiness of my pups I want you to meet them. I will give them something I never had. I will give them both of their parents, no matter how much it tears me up, to see your poisonous claws so near their small bodies and to be reminded of the nightmare that you had represented to me. So … what do you say Sesshomaru?"

The Daiyokai was taken aback. There was a sick sense of logic in the young half-inus words and he could understand him. In fact he could not only understand him - from the emotions emitting from the younger man, he could track down what had made the hanyou come to this decision. To all of his decisions. The demon exhaled and said "This Sesshomaru understands. We all will give this a try and see where it leads us. Tomorrow I will introduce myself to them and then we will bring them to their home. And-"

"They already have a home and so do I, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha piped in with a serious voice, then he continued "But we will visit you in your home and then we will see if we can break this circle of hate between us. And we will make out what the pups want."

Sesshomaru nodded in acceptance and stated "So it will be. Everything will start tomorrow anew."

- tbc -

This chapter was for some unfathomable reason the most difficult for me. I stopped continually and proceeded to write. I hope the outcome is to your liking and makes up for the long wait.

Don't forget reviews are the air and water for us authors.


	16. Chapter 16

Finally another chapter. I am sorry for making you wait this long. Hope this chapter makes up for the wait.

**Chapter 16: Distance in Closeness**

The demon lord stood in front of the closed door, waiting for his children to leave the room. His brother had gone in to explain his presence and to get them ready for the day. After a short eternity the door slid open and Inuyasha strode out. He wore the unusual robe which seemed to have become his favourite type of garment. This time it was a baby-blue one with silvery trimmings at the hem and sleeves. Silver outlines of clouds covered the gentle blue outfit. The silver lines matched the silvery band around his left wrist. He walked over to Sesshomaru and located himself next to the demon. They waited together until the first small head poked around the corner. The small male with the bluish-white hair scanned the room than darted towards his father and was hidden behind his form within moments. The child was not covering, as neither fear nor apprehension could be detected in the child. Maybe it was shy or confused, the lord thought while his eyes moved over the clear open eyes. He hardly noticed how two more white blurs raced, just like the first one, right behind the slim figure of his brother.

The hanyou raised an eyebrow at his brother daring him to say something, when he went to his knees and ordered softly "Pups, just like I told you. Heis, you will start." The mixed-blood placed his hand on the shoulder of one of the boys and guided him to stand right in front of him.

The boy was dressed like all pups in a bronze-coloured robe, with the same cut like Inuyashas. The rims were black and for pattern this child had black dragon-flies floating over his form. Heis stumbled a little dazed forward, his eyes never leaving the demon lord as he took his place in front of his brother. With a quick glance back to his trusted parent the small child gave a small bow to the demon lord, making his curled hair frame his long face. He stated "It is nice to meet you, fa-, Sesshoumaru. My name is Chiheisenmaru. Heis for short. I am seven years old and lived my entire life with my two siblings and my Papa in KagayakuNiwa, where we re- rez- reside in. I am oldest of us siblings." He finished with a small nod and went to the side. The child had spoken calm and seemed to be at ease, but the DaiYokai had been able to smell the awkwardness coming off of him in waves.

His eyes left the oldest when the little girl had taken her spot where her brother had stood only moments before. Unlike her brother she did not smell like she was self-conscious in front of him, but he could see she was a little distrustful. It displayed in the way how she stood as close to Inuyasha as she could, without being openly rude to his person. Like the oldest she wore a bronze-coloured robe, but hers was decorated with small black butterflies. The clothing made her look a little fragile, but the strong big eyes showed a will, which would only be second to her parents. She gave like Heis a small bow, making the fabric flow around her petite form and stated "My name is Shiasahime, most call me Shia. I am also seven and lived the same live like my brother. … Umm" the little girl broke her speech and directed a questioning glance at her Papa, before she returned her attention back to Sesshomaru. Her golden orbs washed over the demons lord's frame as she finished a little shyly "I think, I may be happy to see you." Her face flushed and she rushed to the side, making space for the youngest.

Sesshomaru couldn't help himself. He had to smile at the scene and the expression did not leave his face when the youngest walked leisurely in front of him. The pup grinned and waved up to him. Again bronze-coloured fabric greeted him, this time it was covered with bees or wasps. Some were big like apples, while others were so small that only a demons eye was able to identify them clearly. The demon lord was conscious of the physical resemblance of this pup to his brother, but he did not remember the hanyou ever looking this joyful around him. Though it was not really a surprise. The only real difference to a young Inuyasha was the demeanour, the straight hair and the overlapping lilac crescent moons on his forehead and the single curved line on his cheeks. The youngest gave a hasty bow and chirped up to him "Hello, I am Gin'no'Niji and youngest of us three. Call me Gin, I do not like longer name. It's nice to see you. Um…What to tell? Ah I know. I like to eat sweets, to wander, to play and to train. Hope you like this as well." With that the puppy bowed clumsily once more and took off to his giggling siblings, leaving a baffled, yet amused demon lord behind.

With the departure of the mini-Inuyasha the original walked forward, grin lighting up his features. "That's right, hope you like that as well." the hanyous grin turned devious, like he was thinking about some sort of prank. With the happy expression the resemblance to the pups was even more obvious and it made the DaiYokai realize exactly how young the other male was. Then he continued "Well then, let us all go. There is no more reason to wait or to increase this awkward moment. Any questions can be asked while we walk. That goes for you too, Sesshomaru." the mixed-blood declared in the direction of his older brother.

The other inus complied with this wish of him and after saying good-bye to the former co-hunters; the small group was on their way to the castle of the western lands. Rin and Shippo accompanied the family until they reached the border of the village.

The travel would take about five days and the Lord of the West was determined to find out more about his brother, these incidents as well as his offspring. Children. The demon lord was still shocked to suddenly be a parent. The very thought that he had a child was unbelievable. The fact that he had fathered not only one but three children within such a short time span was almost a miracle. Once the news would arrive at the castle half of his council would go in frenzy. Furthermore, he still had difficulties believing the fact that he was walking civilly with his younger half-brother and their children to the western castle. His eyes roamed over each face and drank in every small movement, memorizing the moment. For some reason he felt oddly happy.

True to his words the hanyou allowed him time with the children, but the closer the demon lord tried to get to one of them, the closer the mixed-blood seemed to get. It felt like he had gained an additional shadow. What also did not really help with these awkward situations was the fact that the hanyou was at these moments quite edgy and his claws always seemed to play with the handle of his sword. The mixed-blood also never gave him the opportunity to be alone with his children. Whenever he waltzed off, he took the puppies along, leaving the demon lord to silently fume for himself.

Like this all days of the travel continued. In the beginning it had been the worst, as the puppies were still confused about the presence of the other father and they were starting to get nervous, thanks to the painfully obvious distrust Inuyasha showed Sesshomaru. It was apparent that he did not act this way out of spite or to put Sesshomaru in bad light. No, it was instinctual and the fear of a parent for his young. Actually the DaiYokai was a little surprised that the pup was able to restrain himself to this extend, if his nervousness was any indicator for his nerves, the demon lord actually expected to be cut open constantly. At least he was able to have some small talk with the puppies to get to know them and he also managed to coax some answers out from his brother. It amazed the demon lord exactly to which extent the uncouth hanyou had changed.

With the third day the demon lord could finally say he had made some progress under these circumstances. The children were starting to ask him questions and his brother finally answered his questions with more than a single word. He had learnt about the basic nature of the Diwata-clan to which Inuyasha belonged to on this morning. It was kind of ironic to think that the once considered worthless creature was now linked to such a powerful race. Sesshomaru was convinced by what little he knew about the race that some of them had their eyes and weapons already set on him. It was quite the disillusioned thought to have powerful enemies you did not even know existed. Furthermore the Daiyokai was taught about certain characters within the community. The mixed-blood also told him more about the incident with the witch and last but not least Inuyasha finally hinted that he had gained a new power. But what kind of ability he did not clarify.

On the fourth day the demon lord finally saw exactly what kind of power his half-brother had developed in his absence. Along the way they were attacked by a group of rogue human bandits. Such opponents were hardly worth mentioning and they were treated as such. Before the demon lord could even raise his claw the hanyou acted. The mixed-blood merely gave a short deep, yet melodious howl as he continued his way. In that instant the boy was covered with a greenish hue. The bandits obviously did not understand what it meant and they never found out, as they were within seconds pulled underground by the weed beneath their feet. The DaiYokai could see the ground shift and he smelt for a short moment their panic and fear. Inuyasha hardly cared and stepped right over the spot where the humans had once stood as he continued to chatter with Shia and Gin, who did not even seem to notice what had happened. Heis was as always at a few feet distance. This time he had been trailing relaxed after the small group, silently taking in his surrounding.

The evening of that day the Daiyokai had finally discovered that the younger one could manipulate plants by 'calling' them. Apparently older Diwata did not need to verbally call for assistance, but since Inuyasha was quite young he still used his voice for support. He said it helped him to focus. Sesshomaru found this ability quite thrilling as there were countless options for using such a talent. It was then that he was certain, that the intruder was a Diwata. If the signed 'D' was no indicator it was the abnormal roses and the flowery assassins. But who exactly had toyed with his subjects and possession he could not get out of the hanyou. Yet the laughter he had gained at his questions seemed to hint to someone close to his baby brother.

Then came the fifth day and after all the improvements fate was bound to take a turn for the worse. It all started harmlessly. The weather was fine; the pups were happy and playing along the road with whatever that did not manage to run fast enough from them and the 'adults' were having a pleasing yet superficial conversation, until Sesshomaru caught sight of his castle, or better of the mob standing in front of it. Inwardly the dog-demon groaned and steeled his nerves for the ridiculous banter that was bound to happen. As the inus approached, the lord of the castle could distinguish the mob as his troupes and servants and they all stood around two figures, who strangely did not seem to possess an own scent. The Ice-lord was intrigued and with a quick glance to his brother and their children he could tell that he was the only one not knowing what awaited them. Somehow he knew he would not like what would await them.

After a small walk towards the castle the two figures could be clearly made out and Sesshomaru knew his guess had been correct. What greeted them was a face-splitting wide grin that the demon knew from past events. A small yet cold growl went past his lips, confusing the pups and amusing the youngster walking next to him, who simply strode onward and waved at the two beings "Long time not seen, Aring. Hello Fuuka. I did not expect you two to be here this early on."

The taller of the two figures moved towards the approaching demon-family, ignoring the flabbergasted demons surrounding the duo. The other figure, a female with something wrapped in blankets in her firm hold, was hot on his heels. Within moments she was surrounded by three small inus, who rambled endlessly to her. The grey male returned the greeting with a cheerful tone "Of course we are here Master. A retainer's place is next to his lord. But personally I think we could have done better than this castle, just look at these lazy bystanders! Their lord stands literally in front of them while they ogle his guests like tramps!" When the last words left the wide mouth the viewers were ripped out of their daze and they threw horrified glances towards their advancing lord, who was as impassive and regally as always. Most of the mob gave hasty bows and raced back inside the castle to return to their duties, the few that stood outside were guards waiting cautiously for orders.

From the outside this might have looked funny, but for those involved it was a waking nightmare – at least for everyone beside three puppies, an inu-hanyou and the guests, that had invited themselves to somebody else's home. The fleeing servants were terrified of being caught slacking off by their temperamental lord, the guards were expected to deal with suspicious beings without scents and peculiar body-structures and the lord of these demons already knew that he would probably have to endure these 'things' in his home to keep his children happy, as he had long since seen the affection the children showered the strangers with. It was apparent that the children knew and liked these beings and that they were used to the wide mouth of the male, or the creepy long fingers curling around their figures from the female. Inuyasha choose that precise moment to intrude his thoughts as he introduced "Sesshomaru, the one on the left is my retainer Aring, the charming lady to his right, who is currently piled with children is his mate Fuuka, my maid and nanny. The bundle in her arms is their son Eiri. They are my staff, friends and family."

Sesshomaru's stare hardened at the introduction. Now he cannot throw them out. Not without causing a scene or a battle, the lord mused. The sharp golden gaze scanned the beings and he saw that both probably belonged to the same race, if the grey hair and the swirling shadows on their skin was any indicator. The lord eyed them another second then gave a small nod to the intruders and stated "Very well. For you belong to this Sesshomaru's family you may stay. I will let my staff prepare rooms for you, do you have any wishes?" The voice of the lord was cold, uncaring and did leave no doubt that he rather see the grey beings in some snake pit than at his doorstep. Some of the lower guards flinched at the voice, whereas the guests did not seem to mind. In fact they were smiling.

The female answered the question with silent amusement "Mylord, there are just three things we ask for: A double-bedroom for my mate and myself and a room for our son close by. Finally we wish for these two rooms to be at least on the same corridor as that of our master. Our service shall not be hindered with walls or guards." Fuuka finished, her gentle voice held a silent promise to the demon lord that was not missed by him. Sesshomaru accepted the terms and without much more fanfare piloted his family and the remaining guards inside. The grey duo and their child strode after the inu-family.

As the mixed group walked into the hall, they were taking in everything. The children were impressed by the sheer size and also the hanyou eyed the grand castle with open curiosity. Merely the Familiars did look indifferent and kind of bored. The group followed a crimson carpet to an audience hall, coloured completely in white. Halfway there a female servant made her way towards the party and bowed deeply to the DaiYokai before she spoke "Greetings milord. Dinner will be served as requested in about one hour. In the meantime I offer myself as a guide around the castle until all of the rooms are prepared. Ummm, milord, how are we setting the children in?"

Sesshomaru redirected the question to his brother, who answered that the triplets would share a single big room, as they did not take well being parted for too long. The DaiYokai approved and the female passed on the order and then asked the group to follow her. To their surprise the DaiYokai ordered her to help with the rooms as he wished to escort his guests around the castle.

The eager children followed with big eyes and also the hanyou was impressed with what he saw. It was more spacious than any other building he had ever seen, but for him it felt kind of bare. He was so used to the little treasures littered in a normal Diwata-household that the palace felt kind of empty to him. The Familiars also shared this sentiment, but they soaked in each word their guide exhaled. Somewhere along the tour Fuuka and her son puffed up in fog and trailed silently and unseen among the inu-family. Aring also disappeared and left the protection to his trusted wife to scan ahead.

The sight-seeing tour went on until they came across various paintings with former demon lords and ladies and their families. The children were mesmerized by the canvas they saw. With small shouts they gazed at each of the nobles until they started to ran up and down the hallway. Sesshomaru watched their antics until he heard Heis mutter "It's not here." The DaiYokai was confused and asked his oldest "What are you searching for Heis?" The pup turned his head and he answered with calm words "Papa's picture. Where is it?"

The demon lord did not like where this was going but he returned "There is no painting of Inuyasha or his mother, as they are not part of the family." After saying the last word the Lord of the West knew he had stepped onto a minefield. Heis was silent and his eyes seemed distant, Shia who had come over stared with silent fury at the big demon in front of her and the last puppy strode over with sad eyes. Gin murmured softly "So they do not belong. We are not part of family?" His wide eyes bypassed the full blood and went to Inuyasha.

The hanyou exhaled and whispered softly but clearly "Gin you are part of the royal family, but you hold no connection to the ruling demon lord, to Sesshomaru." The puppy looked confused and hopped from one leg to the other as he mulled over his parent's words. It was obvious the child wouldn't come to a conclusion anytime soon. But he did not ask another question.

Shia threw a glance at the picture in front of her, of a beautiful demoness and then enquired "Papa, you say we are part of family, but not to father? Does this mean we do not get a pretty picture like this?" The girl bit her lip with her small fangs and looked longingly over all the other inu-paintings.

Inuyasha went over to the girl and picked her up. He growled softly as he replied "It is unlikely that our paintings will be placed on this wall. But why do you long for another painting? We have many at home, one more beautiful than the other. And we can get hundrets more." The girl pouted adorably and replied with a small but stubborn voice "It's not fair. With us the wall would look better!" Her answer made the hanyou chuckle. When he opened his mouth to reply he was cut off.

"That's enough hanyou. Stop telling such things to the pups! Of course there will be paintings of them on the gallery. They are my heirs!" The demon lord had been calm, had listened to what his brother told his children and was horrified how he could even think that the DaiYokai would think his own children as unworthy.

The mixed-bloods eyes hardened. He placed his daughter carefully onto the ground and ordered the pups to go play as the adults needed to talk. Reluctantly the children went off. The mist close on their heels. Once the hanyou was certain all of them were gone, including Heis, the hanyou stomped towards the demon and yanked him into the closest room. Once the door was shut the younger eyed his half-brother determined and hissed "Sesshomaru one of your few good qualities is that you never lie, so don't you dare to start now! Every word I said was true and you know it!"

"Are you mad Inuyasha?! These are my heirs, how can you say otherwise to them? How can you make them think that they are below their ancestors?!" the accusations were calmly spoken, but the hanyou could practically feel his brother's claw at his neck. Inuyasha assumed that the demon only held back because the children would probably ask if they saw him with a hole in his body. With a shrug the hanyou replied "Tell me brother. Why do you call them 'your heirs'? They are my heirs because I birthed them but according to your precious traditions they are not yours. You are their biological father alright, but not their lord. Did you think I read your library for fun?! I know the traditions, all of them."

"Explain yourself to me hanyou?!" the DaiYokai exhaled with barely restrained rage. How the half-breed always managed to crawl under his skin was beyond the demon lord. The younger simply raised an eyebrow and replied "I am talking about your traditions. The ones you cherish so much. According to them, _heirs_ of noble blood are only those that are created between mates. Mates! Not random fucking! That might work for low-level demons but not us! Right now your children have the same rank as those conceived by a concubine! They are your children but they will only be heirs to me and the one I mate. So if I would choose to mate your ice-ass bitch of a mother your children would be your siblings and her heirs, not yours! In the Diwata-community there is no discrimination of blood and they are the same as any other child, but here reigns the traditions." the hanyou broke his tirade when he saw the shocked look in the eyes of the older man. A smirk graced his lips when he saw the glowing eyes in the impassive face. With a flick of his ears he turned and paced to the door. When he placed his hand on the slide-door he turned to the lord and asserted "Right now, you only have one heir and that is me. Did you know that Diwata mate with a magical rite called 'Blood Oath'? If you don't believe me 'Call the Ancestors'." Then he slipped out and was gone.

The lord of the castle was in shock. He had forgotten about that tradition - no he had not forgotten about it. He had ignored it and now it slapped him back in the face. To think that Inuyasha seemed to have absorbed this knowledge like some kind of sponge was disturbing. Time really does change people; otherwise such a conversation wouldn't even happen in a dream. Yet this was no dream, at best this was a nightmare and in the worst case this was reality. But it was not only the legal station of his offspring that was unacceptable; if it is true that Diwata mate with magical means than it would indeed make the half-blood his heir. A heir with hardly any practical knowledge about his kin and who might just leave at any moment. And with the pup leaving, his inner piece would shatter like glass.

He would use the spell his brother mentioned to search if he had a legal heir, but the demon lord had not much hope. The hanyou had been practically breathing conviction and the DaiYokai only needed to look at the Familiars to know that there was magic within the other race's community. Things had turned out quite ugly. Even if the hanyou was not a legal heir he was still considered a noble, for all he had achived and as such the children would go to whoever managed to claim the stray.

There was not much of a choice. If he wanted to have access to his children he needed to get the hanyou on his side - or a few feet beneath the earth. But somehow the demon lord was quite convinced that his offspring wouldn't take it well, if he were to kill their bearer. Add the Diwata into the mix, who won't just sit still. Sesshomaru had the feeling if it came to an all out battle that even his mother wouldn't find enough of his remains to resurrect him. He could not hope for assistance if he were to wage war against his brother and the Diwata.

The idea of killing the half-blood might have enlightened his day in the past but now it only would cause anguish. For some reason his heart cramped at the image of a dead inu-hanyou in his head. Sesshomaru knew by now, it was due to the unfinished mating and maybe it was a good thing that he still had ties to his little brother, no matter how thin they were. Maybe it was time to tie the stray pup to his ancestral home.

**- tbc -**

Finished with yet another chapter. Don't ask me why, but the more the story progresses the more difficult it gets to finish the chapters. But don't worry I WILL finish it (if the story ends up unfinished, I was run over by a car).

In the text I wrote about the demonic class system. Or at least how I imagine it. There are four ranks within the demonic society. At the top is 'Royalty'. These are the DaiYokai and their blood-relatives. The second class is the 'Noble Class', consisting of the most influential and powerful demons. The 'Commoners' within the demonic society are practically any demon who is not powerful or skilled enough to rise in rank. Below the commoners are the 'Low Rank demons'. To this group count the imps, brainless insect-like demons, the ogre and those banished from the demonic community. These are the most common kind of demons.

But that is not all. Sadly there is more to consider: If a child is conceived outside of mating they are reduced in their rank and have to rise with their own abilities (does not include 'Royalty'). Being a hanyou also lowers one in rank if there is already a capable leader available, but thanks to his strength and attained fame Inuyasha is considered at least a noble. Due to his mother being magically bound to InuTaisho Inuyasha raises in rank to 'Royalty' in the next chapter.

Is it confusing?


	17. Chapter 17

Good evening boys and girls. It has been quite a while since I wrote you guys. Originally I wanted to update this chapter far sooner, but work kept me from finishing it sooner. The fact that I had to rewrite this chapter about a million times did not make it easier. Somehow it is very difficult to capture the feelings between the brothers. I hope I did a decent job at this.

This chapter is a little calmer in the beginning, but it will be the changing point. Have fun!

**Chapter 17: Extending a hand**

The night was gentle and many nobles were chatting with hushed voices. Compared to the annoyingly loud humans, demons certainly kept their cool and held up their pride like a shield to the ugly world. In this castle things seemed too perfect to be real – there was too much grace, too many content faces to be real. Perhaps this place really was the demon-heaven, but one silver-haired young man could not shake off the feeling of wrongness. In fact the mixed-blood knew he should feel flattered to finally be part in what should have been his birth right, but - somehow. The atmosphere was stifling, the clothes looked ridiculous on him and the simple minds of these demons could only be describes as a bother. In fact 'bare' was the only right word the youngster thought fitting. How they managed to live through their life with nothing more than this meaningless palaver was beyond Inuyasha. Even the few other hanyous present, turned out to be quite the bore, as these kids had definitely spent too much time with their teachers. At least the dining table was covered plentiful; too bad the peacocks did not know how to appreciate such a kind gesture. It was doubtful any of them had ever suffered from hunger, or starved for weeks. Nor knew they any other kind of shortage for that matter.

Not for the first time the hanyou wondered how he had ended up here. Dolled up for some pompous fools, who couldn't tell the difference between his face and his ass. The mixed-blood stifled a small growl, when he felt yet another pair of curious eyes on his flesh. His golden eyes darted to the side and caught yet another noble who seemed to have nothing better to do then gawking at him. It was sickening to have this many demons stare at you and to have their eyes roaming over one's figure. The younger inu was certain that half of them stared at his bottom whenever they thought his attention was diverted. Why were they looking at his lower body anyway? The last time he checked it was still his and he had no intention to share with any of them.

A small sigh escaped the youngster. His tired body yearned for some rest or for the buffet table on the other side of the room, but thanks to this stuffed place it was impossible to get there without stomping on hundreds of feet. In the past he wouldn't have cared, but now he wanted to leave a half-way good impression. With some difficulties the hanyou excused himself from his current 'conversation-partner' and escaped into the mass of people, where he filched undetected a drink from one of the more careless nobles. With a smirk the mixed-blood made himself comfortable, while leaning to the wall in an alcove. Wine was not exactly his favoured drink, but he liked the warm feeling that came with it. Blending out a group of snake-demons, he recalled how he had ended up in this place – his own personal hellhole.

After he 'cleared some misunderstanding' between himself and his lord-brother, he had been left to his own devices. Only the attendants were intruding his private time. The servants that seemed to flutter around everywhere were kind, but were unused to have a noble around that took care of his own room, or one that worked on other matters beside papers. The half-demon was always amused and disgusted at just how awed they were for having a noble capable of doing his bed in the morning. The very idea to have a blue-blood working at something in general seemed to have surpassed the horizon of many servants. With that discovery his opinion of these nobles fell through the floor, whereas it lifted his brother a little up. Just a tiny little bit.

As Inuyasha's thoughts floated around his remaining family he found himself getting lost in their conversation four days ago.

The talk with his big brother had been everything but amusing to the half-dog. When he had been younger he had always wished to have a chance to prove to his perfect brother that he was more than just some accidental misconduct. That he was no abomination, no mistake and definitely not a punching bag. That day he was finally able to fulfil that long-kept desire, but ironically it now filled him only with sadness. The little bubble of happiness and pride that he should have felt rising in his chest had been missing. It had received a sharp sting from reality. There was no joy in that moment and the young warrior knew why. The hanyou had always deep down known that no matter what happened that there was no happy end to their relationship or to his life in general. How could there be one? After all the shit they went through?

What he really wished for was simply to forget and to start anew, but he could not. Not just because it was more than a little difficult, or because of his precious memories, but simply because this pain was all that made him who he really was. What would be left of the fierce warrior if his burden would simply disappear? He would be nothing but a shell of himself. Nothing more than a cheery shell with no trace of the real Inuyasha. To disappear this easily frightened the youngster like nothing he had ever faced.

An endless sea of sadness coupled with a dull ache in his heart was all he felt. It was at that precise moment that the youngster understood that all his suffering had been for naught. All these lone nights shaking in hunger, pain and cold were nothing more than a sick joke from the gods. A simple twist of fate turned his entire existence so drastically from a prince to some worthless stray. Worthless. That was the only word that fit to that entire picture. In this world his past was nothing but pitiful. Maybe it had been a mistake to return to this world? To face his past. He could have lived on, blissfully ignorant of this world's hardships. He had a new life.

The youngster blinked a few times in his wine-glass, as he recalled how much he had wished to see and talk only once to his old man. No, the hanyou shook his head vehemently. It's not a mistake on his part. His kids should get to know their parents. He would not let his children suffer from uncertainties, like he did. And even if he wanted to leave his old self behind and forget, he could not. He would not allow himself to be done in by his memories or the little word 'why'.

When he had told his brother about the 'Blood Oath' of the Diwata or that Sesshomaru long since had an heir, he had finally accepted his dream for what it was. Meaningless. Yes, he was the heir of the Western Land and the ancient spell 'Call of the Ancestors' will lead his brother directly to his door, but for what use? So that he could rule over demons that held no meaning to him? Demons were foreign creatures to him, even if they shared some blood with him. But if it would be expected of him he would do it and he would learn to love this world once more. Hopefully it was not too late for him to start anew in this wretched reality.

This truth was too harsh for the young man and he had escaped as swift as he could without making his brother doubt his sincerity. Once out of sight the mixed-blood had evaded his brother like he was the plague for three days straight. But as always his brother sniffed him out at yet another unexpected moment.

The next day he had reserved for his pups. He had been sitting on a bench in the garden his arms lazily wrapped around his sleeping oldest pup with the other two running around, when a sharp bluish light shot out of nowhere. It made sharp turns and hefted itself onto his flesh, giving it a soft glow. Startled his eyes shot in the direction of where it came from just to see his older brother holding a small bluish lamp-like item, in which he could see more lights swirling around. The object was about as small as a nut and just as round, but it gave off a powerful vibe making it appear threatening and impressive. Next to the demon with the light he saw an Ibis-demoness and two foxes he did not know, who stared in shock at him. Inuyasha did not have to ask, what that light was. It was the 'Call of the Ancestors' and the spell clearly illuminated him as magically linked to the main-family. How fucking perfect. Now he really could not leave.

The hanyou growled "Next time warn a guy, before you use spells on him." Amber and Topaz eyes clashed and held each other until the younger inu broke the staring contest with a soft sigh "Ya didn't use that just to annoy me, right? So what do you want brother?"

Sesshomaru gave the demons behind him some order and they retreated back into the castle, arguing among themselves. A barely visible smile was on the dog-demons lips as he pocketed the small lamp in the depths of his kimono and strode forward. He seemed awfully relaxed as he stood there with them in the garden; he bent down on one knee and gave a soft growl to the playing children. Shia and Gin had realized that their father had come to visit and greeted him by jumping at his lowered form, before returning to their game with enthusiasm. The sun-like eyes of the older dog-demon shifted from the playing children to the youngster on the bench when he rose to his full height and said "Inuyasha, we need to talk in private. I assume you are aware why I am here."

Inuyasha shifted nervously and he averted his gaze from his brother to the son on his lap. As his golden eyes rested on the bluish-white locks of his oldest, he realized that his son was once again trying to eardrop on 'adult themes', as he called it. On fist glance he seemed to be sleeping, but the hanyou could detect his hitched breathing. The hanyou smiled at the futile attempt. He answered "Yes I know why you wish to talk, but you will have to wait a short while. If you don't mind, I will seek you out later this day."

Sesshomaru nodded and replied "Alright, I shall await you tonight in my study." The lords attention went to the white bundle slumped on the lap, when he continued "And you Chiheisenmaru stop listening onto our conversations, such behaviour is rude." Heis pale face was dusted with a soft pink when he sat himself up. He bared his neck to the older and murmured a soft 'sorry'. Sesshomaru strode forward and placed his clawed hand carefully on his son's head and ruffled his hair. The scene was kind of cute and seemed strangely natural for such a deadly being. Inuyasha flinched and his eyes widened in shocked surprise when he felt the demons other hand in his own hair, where it caressed carefully the soft strands. The younger could only gape at the one standing in front of him. Sesshomaru's face came closer to the younger and Inuyasha felt his face flush. He averted his face and heard his older brother whisper into his ear "Don't be too late, Inuyasha."

Then the warm hand left his head and the demon turned back to the watching and arguing demons, leaving his family to their break. But even with the appendage gone, the half-demon could still feel the lingering warmth. Inuyasha could not believe it. His brother had touched him as if it was casual. It had felt nice. The hanyou did not understand what this meant, but maybe his brother really wanted to have some form of relationship with him. That evening would certainly be interesting.

When the sun had set and the mixed-blood had tucked in his children he strode through the silent castle. Only few people were out and walking the hallways, so the hanyou was hardly noticed with his soft steps.

The door to his brother's study was closed, but not locked. The young inu knocked and was immediately asked to enter. Once inside he saw his brother lifting himself out of his chair. The older gave a polite nod to the younger and declared "Let's take a walk little brother. I know you are not fond of these bureaus and tonight I do not feel like staying here longer than absolutely necessary." Inuyasha said nothing, but nodded in approval.

The DaiYokai advanced to the younger and snaked his hand carefully around the younger's shoulders directing him out of the room. Inuyasha surprised both of them by not reacting in any way to the gesture.

The two inu walked silently next to each other until they left the castle behind them and reached a forest. During this strange march the hanyou did not utter a single word. He was too nervous to form words, let alone a coherent sentence. Once inside the forest he finally managed to get his stiff tongue under control to mutter with dry humour "I hope you wish to violently kill me and hide my remains, otherwise it would mean that this world has reached its end."

Sesshomaru shook his head with a small smile and his arm left the younger when he replied "The world is still intact and these dark encounters are over, brother. All of this lies now in the past. There is … I had plenty of time to think during these last days. State affairs, trade, politics and aristocrats were not on my mind for once. It was you. I know that due to my past mistakes I have made you suffer. I made you experience things that no one, least of all someone under my protection should have endured – yet you did. Back then I gave you the fault of father's death. Of the hardships I had to face that followed his demise. I became the Lord of the West and treated this title and all its responsibilities with great care. Sadly I have to admit, that in my ignorance I did not even think once of you as my charge. … It took me two hundred and fifty years to finally accept that I have failed you. As a lord, as your kin and most of all as your brother. … I know it is impossible to atone for what I did, but I wish to start anew with you. There will be no more bloodshed between us. … What do you think of this, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou did not make a sound while his brother spoke. Afterwards he lowered his head, hiding his eyes under his bangs when he spoke softly "Are you saying this because I came here with children, … or because of the spell that I told you to use?"

Sesshomaru's smooch voice whispered "It is true that both took small parts in this decision, but not entirely. Do not take me so lightly to think that I would only want you, because of what a spell confirmed or simply for children. I wish for your return because it feels right. The Sesshomaru you used to know never followed his instincts or his feelings - now I do. Many of my mistakes could have been prevented if I had done that. In this matter I refuse to fail and so I will follow my inner beast. Maybe that way I can set our relationship right."

The younger man lifted his head and his golden orbs bore into his brothers when he asked "And how exactly do you think will our future look like? What am I supposed to do? As you well know I have no nerve for these babbling idiots, who are sitting on their fat asses all day."

"Language, brother. And yes, I am well aware of your preferred social environment, yet I fear I cannot shelter you from all of these meetings and many of these 'babbling idiots' as you call them will waste your time. But that is to be expected, you are part of the royal family and as my mate you shall be second in command and be in charge of many affairs of your choice."

The hanyou felt his jaw go slack as he breathed out softly "… Mate?!" That one word sounded so weird to the youngster. His golden eyes glowed unseeingly in the darkness. For a moment one had the impression that the youngster had fainted standing. The half-demon was in shock. Now he knew definitely that his older brother had lost all of it. Shaking his head was the only real reaction he could think of at such a declaration. With a slightly worried and partly amused voice the hanyou forced out "Sesshomaru, you should stop eating mushrooms. I think you don't tolerate them. Now let's head back. BOTH of us need rest." The hanyou pointed the word out and spun around taking the first steps back to the castle, when a strong yet slim hand wrapped itself around his waist, hauling him back against a hard warm hard body.

"Will you stop this crap! Let me go Sess-" the hanyou yelled. His amber eyes dimmed to dark honey in rage. His claws started to twitch when he laid them on the older demons arm wrapped around his midsection. His throat tightened whether out of fury or because his powers started to force their way out he could not tell.

"I refuse to let you leave without an answer." the demon lord pronounced with a strong voice. His other arm was wrapped around the others torso and his grip tightened, expecting everything from his unpredictable brother.

"What answer?! It took us what, two hundred years to be brothers for a few days?! What gives you the idea that we could actually have that form of relationship?! It's a miracle we are not clawing each other's throat out! Now put me down before I correct that!"

"That is not your style and you know it, so stop the empty threats." An angry growl was his only reply. Sesshomaru sighed lightly. "It seems I was wrong to think that the Diwata taught you control. That temper of yours is as bad always." the DaiYokai observed dryly.

"Yours is worse. Besides there is no Diwata around so why bother pretending - and now get your arms off me, or I will make you!" Inuyasha was livid. For five fucking minutes he actually believed that things could change just to have his brother get one of his 'brilliant ideas'. Seriously, leave it to his brother to want to mate his former 'arch-enemy'.

"How about this Inuyasha: I put you down and we will talk." the demon lord proposed.

"Put your 'generous offer' back into your closet. I will leave before you cost me my last sanity! There is nothing to talk about!" The hanyou shouted. His hands tightened and he broke the skin of the demons arm holding him in place. Neither of them noticed the action.

The ice-lord observed his younger brother squirming in his grip. His eyes drank in what he could make out of his sibling: The shiny silver hair, the slightly tanned skin and the blazing eyes, but that was not what had caught him by surprise. Beneath the obvious rage he saw something else that surprised him. Within the pools of amber swam something that he knew too well. It was the sparkle of fear. Sesshomaru used his god-like speed and spun his brother completely around without loosing his hold on him. He leaned down until his face hovered just above the others and enquired "Stop it, hanyou. What is it that you fear? What are you running from?."

His words were finally heard from the stubborn youngster, who could only stare at him with wide eyes. Inuyasha only shook his head but did not answer his question. The form of the wild prince finally stilled and slumped into the body holding him. Instead of answering directly he just murmured "Put me down Sesshomaru." After a slight pause he added "I won't run away and I won't attack you. I promise."

Sesshomaru felt the fight leave the small form. The vice-grip loosened and released the subdued youngster. The topaz-eyed beauty expected him to get as much distance as this forest allowed between them, but to his surprise the hanyou did the opposite: He stood still, leaning into the being who was both salvation and doom to him.

A soft growl made the demon direct his gaze to the young male leaning into him. Inuyasha snarled softly "If this is a joke I will behead you. I will do so even if I have to catch you sleeping."

The DaiYokai raised an eyebrow and returned "In that case I have nothing to fear. Are you now willing to discuss this matter with me?"

Grumbling in annoyance the half-blood muttered "Do I have a choice?" The question was supposed to be rhetorical but the deep 'No' resonating through the dark forest and his fingers made the hanyou chuckle lightly "Thought so".

With some difficulties the mixed-blood untangled his claws out of the others kimono and sat down on the ground beneath an old oak. "You have stopped referring to yourself in third person, how come?" The demon was surprised by the change of theme but replied swiftly nonetheless "I still refer to myself in that way when I deal with business. It helps to distance oneself from the matter at hand, but for I want you as my mate I will refrain from doing so."

The hanyous eyes darkened at the word "There you go again. How in the world did you come up with me as a mating-candidate?! How come? I do not understand what you were thinking. You could have everyone. There are tons of hot chicks and powerful males around, so why would you pick me out of them all. … You must realize that I will cause you trouble, that I will fight your word from time to time and that I will not submit this easily."

"Precisely brother. If I wanted somebody lapping up the ground I walk on, I would have proposed to Jacken. But as I do not wish for blind obedience in my mate I shall refrain from ever doing so. In my mate there will be no cowardly, only strength in mind, heart and body. I want somebody who is strong enough to stand by my side, somebody who will question me if there is need. Why should I take some fickle beast if I could have a proud warrior who can rival me? As strange as this may sound, I would entrust you the Western Lands more than any other. That is why I wish to claim you and why you will be my mate." The demon finished his little speech with a neutral voice. He was not guessing, he was predicting.

"Arrogant bastard" the silver-haired boy murmured. Then his shoulders slumped for a moment as he mulled over the words from the other man. He tilted his head and asked nervously "What will follow this evening?"

"The day after tomorrow there will be a feast where you will be presented as the heir of these lands and as a prince of the Celestial Dog-demons." Inuyasha nodded. He had kind of expected this after the event in the garden.

"Sesshomaru, … What if I cannot decide?"

The demon lord gave a slight smile "You are insulting me Inuyasha. I did not expect my mate to simply roll over and accept my proposal. Our ancestors wooed each other before they mated and so will I. With your allowance I would like to fight for the right to claim you."

Inuyasha felt his cheeks flush. He felt lighter when he stood up. A cocky grin lit up his features when he announced "Do what you can, but I won't make this easy on you." With that he jumped out of the forest and darted back into the castle.

Sesshomaru stood alone in the forest and mirrored the smirk as he whispered "I would be insulted if you did, brother." The smirk turned into a content smile, finally he did what felt right. He had found somebody that he could live with and his instincts were appeased - for the first time he could remember.

**- tbc -**

Gods above, this chapter was just crazy. Half of what I wanted to put in has to come at a later time and what I wanted to be brief filled out entire sheets of paper.

I hope you had not to wait in vain and like where this story is heading. If not make certain to contact me. I may no be able to please everyone, but I will try to correct mistakes or wrong personalities.


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